Beyond the Light
by VioletLites
Summary: The void may be a memory in the past, but it still haunts you. Even after you've found your way out of its cold clutches you still flail in the dark. Even after finding a way to survive, you still have to learn how to live. (Part two of the DrifterVerse. Sequel to "Across the Dark")
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to the much anticipated sequel to "Across the Dark!" :)**

 **I had such fun writing the first one, and so many seemed to enjoy it that I decided to go ahead and write a continuation. If you haven't read AtD, I suggest you do so or you are going to be very confused. Seriously. There are a lot of twists and turns and complicated plot developments and it's only going to get worse as this story continues.**

 **This first chapter will give a bit of a recap to refresh your memory for certain things that will be important later, and will also add on some things. So I will stop rambling and let you get to it. :D Please R &R. And most definitely Enjoy!**

"What was it like? In the void?" Rose Tyler asks the girl sitting next to her in the back seat if the car. Her brown eyes, so much like the Doctor's glaze over. "You don't have to answer...I was just curious."

"No it's fine." She squeezes her eyes shut and faces forward away from the window before continuing.

"It's dark, like you'd expect. And quiet. So quiet that your ears start to ring, it sounds like someone's screaming. Until you get use to it. It cold. And thick. Hard to breathe, hard to move. You don't get hungry, or thirsty. You do get tired, but it doesn't matter. Cause you can't fall asleep. You're too lonely to sleep. It's too quiet to sleep."

The thing about Jane Ryder was that she was stronger than most. But her strength came in the form of other people's weaknesses. She was a Whovian, who had the misfortune of surviving a plane crash. A plane crash that didn't just land her on a deserted island. It landed her in the void, and when she finally drifted out of it, she was in a whole different world. Pete's world.

She helped Rose Tyler make it to Journey's end. She picked the name Jane Ryder in honor of a friend who gave up. His name was the constant reminder that she could not end her life as he did. She fully intended to keep the timeline on track. But circumstances changed when Rose regenerated, and ended up with two hearts. This caused her to change everything.

She fixed a great deal. Rose was with the Doctor, Donna retained her memories and ended up with Lee from the library. Even Meta found a place. He found his place with her. The only person in the universe who could truly understand him.

But life wasn't all perfect. Meta died...for her. And eventually, so did she. But because of his life, she survived, with an extra heart beating in her chest. But that wasn't the end of her trials. After Junior, the son of the Doctor and Rose grew up, she had to go to war. The Time War. It was there that she learned the part she had played in helping the Doctor with the moment.

With Juniors parents dead, he took his father's place in the TARDIS, and became eleven. Jane gave her life for him. And that's how she ended up in Paradise, where Meta was waiting.

The thing about Jane Ryder is that she was stronger than most. But she died young. I died young. That was once a name I went by, but in the Time War that changed. I have many names now, but only one do I choose to acknowledge.

I am the Lady Drifter in the Dark. And my story isn't over yet. I may have made it out of the dark, but this new found light is now nearly blinding me. It's time I relearned how to see, with new eyes.

DWDWDW DWDWDW DWDWDW DWDW

Earth 2009. Noble-McAvoy Household. "Family reunion."

"Auntie Jane!"

"Ughf." I huff as the nine year old time lord barrels into me. "Careful there Raggedy." I laugh as I return his embrace.

He looks up at me with his mother's wide eyes. "I missed you."

"I missed you too Junior." I ruffle his hair and then he's off.

"Nathan!"

"Junior!"

I smile fondly as the two boys embrace. As Nathan begins to talk adamantly I can clearly see that he's Donna's son. He may have his father's hair and features, but his facial expressions clearly reflect hers.

The two boys whisper to each other and giggle. Donna notices and frowns. She shifts the small two year old boy on her hip. "What you two think you're talking about?"

"Nothing mum."

"Oh no you don't. I know that look mister. And yours too Junior. Just like your dad you are. Whatever you're planning you can forget it right now. Now go wash up. Dinner's almost ready."

I laugh head back into the kitchen to refill my glass. Rose and Martha are talking cheerfully as they finish up the meal. "Oh no. Jane. Out."

"Relax Rose. I'm just getting another drink. I'm not going to set the kitchen on fire." I clear my throat and mumble under my breath, "Again."

I dance out of the kitchen as they laugh at me. You start one grease fire and get banned from cooking for the rest of your regeneration. I head back to the living room. Jack and the Doctor are having a friendly looking argument over who knows what, and Mickey and Lee having a conversation while trying to keep their kids in line at the same time.

And then the front door opens and all hell breaks lose. "Hey kids!"

"Grandpa!" They all rush to Wilf as he smiles widely. Junior and Nathan try to act cool but it's easy to say that they're just as excited. Jessica, Martha and Mickey's right year old daughter just rolls her eyes at their antics.

Wilf hugs them each as turn. The Smith children starting with Jessica and then moving on to five year old Timothy. Junior of course, and then the the McAvoy children. All four of them. All four boys. Nathan at nine, Jason at seven, Samuel at four, and two year old Jonathan. And to think, they're in the process of adopting a baby girl named April.

Seeing them greet the man they call grandfather brings a bittersweet feeling to me. I hadn't always liked kids. There was a time as a young teen that I couldn't stand them. But even then, I knew that wanted to have one at least. But I've resolved not to at this point. The only man I loved is dead, yet still he haunts me. He haunts me in memories and dreams, and "when I need him most." He haunts me once a year at this dinner party. The Memorial Day of dear Uncle Meta.

And now, being a time lord or lady, I can't bring myself to do that. I can't allow myself to fall in love with someone else and I refuse to have a child grow up without their father. Children need both of their parents. I should know. My parents together were my best memories. After the divorce...it hurt me more than it hurt them. I hadn't even fully forgiven them for it by the time the plane crashed. But by then it was too late. In their minds, I will be long dead.

But it doesn't matter. I have this family. This new family that's all mine. Donna and Lee are together because of me. They're kids exist because of that and I love each of them. Rose and the Doctor are happy as well and their son is always smiling. Jack still feels guilty at times for my first death, the one that led to Meta's sacrifice. But he told me that I've long since forgiven him, and he's managed to simply be grateful for his grandson still being alive.

Martha and Mickey are also a sight that I'm grateful for. Mickey and I had a rough start all those years ago. It was a different world, and I was a different person, but we grew closer. Battle seems to do that to people. Wilf feels guilty like Jack does. I died for him and no one could save me. Except Meta did. I brush my fingertips over my pulse point and feel the double beat. It's because of him that I'm taller, faster, leaner. It's because of him that I have long black hair and bright blue eyes that can see through anything. But it was a long time ago now and I refuse to feel regret. It was his choice. He wouldn't want me to live in pity.

So I don't. I live and breath and laugh with these people. My family. It's strange now. I've spent just as long in this world as I did in my original universe. And the people who were once nothing more than fiction, are now more real to me then my own flesh and blood.

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

Awareness slowly creeps into my system as I begin to wake up from my dream. No. More than a dream. A memory. One that is almost forgotten. I was so young then. Much has changed since. I have died again. I gave my life for Junior as he guarded the crack on Trenzalore. He'll be who I'd once thought was Twelve now.

I curl closer into the warmth next to me and breath in deep. A smile spreads across my face as I feel Meta's arms wrap around me in response. "Morning."

"Morning," I reply. It's been a few weeks since I first found him here in Paradise. We spend our days exploring our surroundings and our nights are spent quietly together. Too long were we denied this closeness. I was around twenty years old when I met him. I was nearly twenty two when he died. But I'm now well into my second century. Two hundred and seventy nine years of life. Except now, I'm mostly dead.

Refreshed and dressed, we make our way down more long corridors in the strange city. As each day passes I tell him more and more of the time I spent without him. I tell him about the family dinners, and Juniors antics. I share with him as many memories as I can in a single hour or so. I even share the memory of the Doctor and Rose's death and how their son took up the family business with the TARDIS.

It's both sad and happy as we walk hand in hand. Both laughter and tears echo through us. But we don't have a lot of time. Not if things begin to happen the way I believe they will. There are no secrets between us anymore. There's no need for it. We are as close as any two people can be.

But even with that, it still surprised me at times when he asks me questions about it. "You are certain that the Master is here?"

"Yes. Well, let's say Missy. It's easier to keep them straight."

He shakes his head trying to wrap his mind around the idea. "I can't believe he regenerated into a girl. Usually the potential for that shows up early in the regenerative process. It's strange that it manifested so late."

I find myself curious. "Did you have the potential?"

"I'd say no. Like I said. It would have shown up early. Then again, the Master is now a Missy. If the timeline has reverted back to the original plot of the show as you suspect."

"I'm sure it has. The way things unfolded with Junior...he showed me his memories. I saw some of what happened. I changed the outcome of season four, but it seems the universe was insistent that the rest would still remain the same."

His lips brush my forehead in a comforting gesture. "The universe is bigger than you. You can't blame yourself for not being able to change it."

I sigh. "I know."

And so we continue to search. Because I won't stay in this place. Neither Meta nor I wish to leave Junior... the Doctor, alone. So we'll get out. And he won't be alone. I smile. I always did enjoy family reunions.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! Five reviews and only one chapter. :) You've made my week. This chapter is shorter than the last but it gets some things established so we can get things moving. Welcome back if you've read AtD. If you haven't, you really need to do that first. I promise that it will be worth it. That is, if you like that sort of thing. Angsty, twisty, and thought provoking. If you don't like that, you won't like this fic either. But I love you anyway. Carry on.**

First getting here wasn't hard. Meta acted as my sponsor which made the process easy. The paperwork was still annoying. At least I didn't have to worry about my body. The time lords wouldn't bother with cremation. They tried me as a war criminal which means I would have been buried.

But just because Meta has been here for quite some time, doesn't mean that we have access to places we need. We need to get out of here, but I don't know how to do this properly. It's been far too long since I've seen these episodes. Far too long. I can't remember it.

So Meta and I talk. Talking it out is the only way we can do this. It's how we've always done it. We fall back into our rhythm. The rhythm of Jane Ryder and the human Doctor. We worked seamlessly together then, and we do it here and now as well. Old habits die hard.

It isn't long before the topic moves to his sacrifice for me and the fact that he gave me his heart both literally and figuratively. And it's this conversation that sparks an idea. "How did you talk to me?"

"What do you mean?" he asks from the chair in our room. We rarely leave it. There's no place else worth going until we can find Missy.

"After I regenerated, you appeared to me in the mirror. Remember?"

He ducks his head guiltily. "Yeah, I remember. I'm sorry. That was probably insensitive of me...but I needed to see you."

"No. Don't do that." I move over to him and slide into his lap. "I needed to see you too. I needed answers and you came and gave them to me."

He wraps his arms around me and sighs. "What was the question again?"

I smile. "I asked how. How were able to talk to me?"

"Well...I gave my life for you. We became connected on a deeper level because of it. But I could only ever contact you when your mind was open to it. It was easiest when you were sleeping but you didn't sleep much. Otherwise I had to wait for times of distress or great alertness."

An idea forms as I think about this, and I voice it to see how it sounds out loud. "I gave my life for him."

"Who?" There's a slight note of jealousy in him but I'm quick to sooth it. Even if a jealous Meta is a bit attractive.

"Junior. Your nephew. He was dying. I gave up my regenerations. That's how I came here."

"Right." He furrows his brow. "You think you could talk to him?"

"You talked to me."

"True," he says slowly. He thinks carefully. "I can't think of anything that would indicate you wouldn't be able to do the same with him. We could try."

"'We.' I like that." I bite my lip. "I want to try. If we can work this from both sides it will be easier."

"You'll be messing with time lines," he warns.

"Like I haven't had enough experience doing that."

He laughs. "Cheeky."

We grow more serious. "What do I need to do?"

"Lay down." He moves me from his lap.

"Anything to get me back to bed," I tease.

"Oi!" He smiles but moves on from it for now. "It takes a lot of energy. Even when you're dead. The connection will be stronger if you lay down."

I nod. I lay back. "Now what?"

"Close your eyes and concentrate on him. Try to find him. Find his mind. You need to connect to it."

I reach out my mind the way I would as a Time Lady before. And then...my mind is somewhere else. In the TARDIS.

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

Junior sits atop the TARDIS above the earth with his eyes closed in thought. No. Not Junior. Not anymore. He's the Doctor now. Has been for a very long time. To the universe that is who he is now. Doctor who? But in his mind, he's still his father's son, his mother's little boy, his aunt's little raggedy man.

He feels something brush against his mind. His eyes spring open. "Listen."

He talks to himself in this body he finds. Well, he did that before too but it's a bit different now. Hard to explain. He swings himself back into the TARDIS, and closes the door. There's a presents in his mind. Like when there used to be with his family around. But it's weak. Very weak. Weak enough that is probably in his imagination. It's been that way often enough in the past. But it doesn't matter. He still talks to himself.

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

He looks older now. He can't see me. But I don't expect him to. I could never see Meta either, unless it was in a reflection. But...I could hear him. I don't know what to say. Not yet. So I just watch him as he passes around, so much like his father and yet very different as well. He is his own man.

I'm about to say something. Anything. But then he begins to talk. "Question. Why do we talk out loud when we know we're alone? Conjecture. Because we know we're not."

He writes on the blackboard as I watch silently. "Evolution perfects survival skills. There are perfect hunters. There is perfect defence. Question. Why is there no such thing as perfect hiding? Answer. How would you know? Logically, if evolution were to perfect a creature whose primary skill were to hide from view, how could you know it existed?"

I follow behind him as he places his chalk on an open book. "It could be with us every second and we would never know. How would you detect it, even sense it, except in those moments when, for no clear reason you choose to speak aloud? What would such a creature want? What would it do? Well? What would you do?"

I smile. He always was inquisitive. Always. I pick up the chalk as he rambles. It's incredibly difficult but I can't help myself. I remember this part of the episode. I thought it was brilliant then too. Even more so now. So I write on the board. He notices the chalk is missing and he spins around to see what I've written. My answer to his question. "Listen."

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

I groan as I come back. Meta is holding my hand and looking earnestly at my face when I open my eyes. "Well?" he asks.

"I found him. Seeing him reminded me of some things. I think we can get out. But we need his help from the outside to do it."

"Okay. So keep going until it's safe to tell him to come here."

"I suppose. It won't really be that simple. The Master...Missy will want him here. She'll be leading him here. We can wait. But he does need me I think. He's all alone now."

Meta senses the sadness in me. "He won't be for much longer. We'll get back to the land of the living and we won't leave him alone."

I nod. "Okay." My body relaxes in exhaustion. Meta curls around me, and I fall into a blissful sleep. I guess the dead really do sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Let the episode begin! Thank you to all who have reviewed, followed and favorited. More Jack hugs.**

"Nothing." I huff in frustration. "I can't get through again."

"He doesn't need you right now."

"And did he need me last time?"

"From what you told me of that point in his life, he was contemplating a childhood fear. That fear let you in."

I sigh. "Yeah. But see...that doesn't make sense this time. There was no fear for him like that because he didn't grow up on Gallifrey. Can you explain that away?"

"Yes actually." I look at him incredulously. He smiles at me. "Sometimes, for Gallifreyans, strong memories can be passed down to the next generation. It was in our or their evolution process. A way to learn from past mistakes by remembering them. I know what fear you're referring to because I have that memory. It's a strong one. It no doubt was passed from the Doctor to him."

I think about it. "That's actually a bit useful. Also traumatizing." He chuckles at me.

"Well there's no use being impatient. When he needs you, you'll get through."

A small smile tugs on my lips. This is why I love this man. He's always there to encourage me when I need it. "Okay."

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

I try again. And again. And then I make it somewhere. Somewhere hot and nearly suffocating. I nearly lose it, so I push myself back. It's a volcano. The TARDIS is there, and the Junior is lying there. Clara stands in front of him. Oh no. I remember this.

"Clara?"

"It's on your neck." Her stony calm sends a chill through me. She holds up a key. "You told me once what it would take to destroy a Tardis key. That's what's so good about lava. All seven. From all of your hiding places."

"Clara, what are you doing? Don't. Be very, very careful with that. Those are very, very..."

She throws it backwards into the lava and I wince.

This is a dream state. Which means at least he'll be able to see me. But he's sharing it with her, so she will as well. "Do I have your attention?"

"Yes," he replies.

"Good."

"No. Not good, Clara."

"Danny Pink."

"Yeah?"

"Is dead."

"And?"

"Seriously?"

"And?" He asks more forcefully this time.

"And fix it. Change it. Change what happened. Save him. Bring him back."She holds up another key. It's like Father's Day all over again. This is the one time that Clara scared me. This is why I need to come back. Time to make myself known.

"No," he says and I step forward as she throws the key away.

"Enough Clara," I say calmly. They both look at me, startled. Junior looks ready to ask me what was going on but Clara's grief makes her numb as she continues.

"Five left. Every time you say no to me, I will throw another key down there. Do we understand each other?"

His attention snaps back to her. "Well, I understand you. Let's not get carried away."

"Time can be rewritten."

I shake my head at her. "Not always Clara. Sometimes there is simply nothing you can do. He can't change this, not today."

"But you know that of course, otherwise you wouldn't be threatening me," he adds.

"Did you just say no?" She still looks nearly catatonic. Her grief making her impossible to reason with.

"If I change the events that brought you here, you will never come here and ask me to change those events. Paradox loop. The timeline disintegrates. Your timeline," he explains. "And yes!"

"Yes?" She cocks her head ever so slightly.

"Yes. I did just say no. Throw away the key."

"I have seen you change time, I have seen you break any rule you want."

"He know when he can, and he knows when he can't. He was taught well. Now throw the key." I still keep calm.

She looks trapped as she looks at us. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to take control."

"I am in control." He tells her do as she's told. Throw away the key.

"No!" She shouts.

"Well, either you do as you're told or stop threatening me. There really isn't a third option here."

"He has a point."

"Do you know what, Doctor? When it comes to taking control, you really are out of your depth." She moves to throw all the keys but I'm too quick, knowing that she was going to do that.

I pull the keys from her and hand them to Junior. Well, the Doctor now I suppose. "Pure both wrong. When it comes to taking control, I beat you both. I've been at it quite a bit longer. There's no need for this sweetheart. There are rules."

"I don't care about the rules, I don't give a damn about paradoxes. Save Danny. Bring him back or I will make sure no one will ever step inside the Tardis again."

"You're in no position to make threats anymore," I remind her gently.

She stutters. "I-I'm not sorry. I'd do it again. I'd do it again." As she begins to realize the gravity of what she attempted to do she falls to her knees and sobs.

I look at the Doctor and he at me. Since our minds our connected we can communicate without words. It's not so much like talking in our heads. It's more like understanding the other person's meanings behind the pictures in their mind. He wonders how I'm here. I try to send him as clear a message as I can. We can be saved. He assumes that I mean Danny as part of the 'we' having no idea about Meta being there. I don't hold it against him.

I show him pictures of her going through with it and he understands. He wanted to know how far she would go. She would I all the way. I want him to forgive her. "Look in your hand," he says.

"There's nothing in my hand."

"Clara, look in your hand," he repeats.

"The keys, they're gone. You took them," she says to me. "Just go."

"Clara, look in your hand," I say gently.

"There's nothing in my hand."

"Yes, yes, yes, there is. Look." She turns her hand over and sees the sleep patch there.

"Did you seriously think that that was going to work on me? They're not sleep patches. They induce a dream state." He removes the patch from her palm and the connection is severed. I'm back with Meta again.

"Well?" He raises his eyebrow at me.

"We have to find Danny." I get up and pace to the window, looking out at the strange never ending city.

"Who?"

"Danny Pink. We have to find him. He's here. And Junior will bring Clara to find him."

"If Danny's here and dead why would they try to find him? He would know better."

"He knows better than changing the death. But there is no law of time that says he can't find him after the fact."

He joins me at the window and drapes his arm over my shoulder. "So how do we find him then?"

I wrap my arms around his waist and sigh. "We request a meeting. It will be assumed that he killed us."

"Cheery."

I look up and meet his eyes. "At least we still have our emotions. How ever much longer that will last." I think of the cybermen we will face.

"As long as we are together, no cybermen will ever erase how I feel for you." Of course he has to go and say something like that when we're running out of time for a proper thank you. I suppose a kiss will have to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the wait. But look! I wrote more. :)**

It doesn't take long for our request to see Danny Pink to go through. We head to the office as directed. On the other side of the door I can hear a man ask Danny, "You did say you were being cremated?"

A beep sounds and then we are being ushered in. "These two also wanted to see you."

"I don't know them," Danny says. Can't have that.

"Not personally no. But we have a mutual friend." He's about to reply to that but the mans iPad beeps again. "And that will be her."

"Wow! Oh, that's rare. This never happens."

"Wow, what now?"

"What never happens?" Meta asks curiously.

The worker ignores us. "You've got a call."

"A call."

"From the other side."

"Meaning?"

"Do you know somebody called Clara Oswald?"

It only takes a moment for this to register. "Answer it." He takes the iPad. "Clara? Clara? Clara, are you there?"

Her voice comes through. "Danny! I can hear you. Is that you? Oh, please, say it's you."

"That's her, that's Clara!"

"Yeah, you're really lucky. It hardly ever happens."

I watch Danny's face fall as the signal drops out. "Where did she go?" My grip tightens on Meta's hand.

"Just lost the signal. But I can track it back, I'm pretty sure."

Barely thirty second later, Danny is bouncing on his heels. "Come on, get her back."

"Da-da-da. I'm trying."

"He'll get her back Danny," I assure him.

He looks at me and Meta. "And who are you two? How do you know Clara?"

I look at Meta and he handles the introductions. "I'm Meta and this is Drift. The Doctor is our nephew."

He's nodding as I continue. "He's never met her, but I've met Clara personally. She's strong and she loves you. You'll talk to her again."

"Yeah the Doctor would have something to do with this."

I bristle a bit. "That man is your only chance right now. I wouldn't diss him if I were you. I know he's a prat but he'll learn. I'll knock some sense into him."

The worker hands the iPad back to him and he takes it. "Clara, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Danny, I can hear you. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I can hear you."

"Clara! Oh, God. Clara."

"What do I do?"

Danny furrows his brow. "Who are you talking to?"

"Hang on just a moment," she replies.

I get next to Danny and my sensitive time lady hearing picks up the Doctor's voice even with Clara blocking it. "Question him. Ask him questions only he'd know the answer to. Be sure. You, with me."

"Where are you going?"

"I've got to check out those tanks. There's something that I'm missing."

I put my lips close to the microphone and whisper. "Exoskeleton Junior. Use that brain of yours. You already have all the clues you need."

"Impossible." I pull away and nod at Danny who is giving me a weird look.

"Clara?" Danny continues trying to get her back but I keep listening to the hushed voices and relaying it to Meta.

"Sceptical and critical, remember? Be strong, even if it breaks your heart."

"Connection's stabilised. It should be okay," the guy with the glasses tells her.

"Who would harvest dead bodies? And Auntie...but that's not possible. Exoskeleton. Clues. I feel like I'm missing something obvious."

Clara comes back. "Danny?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Danny, I'm so sorry but I'm going to have to ask you some questions."

"Questions? I swear on anything it's me!"

"The very first restaurant you took me to. That first date. What was it called?"

"Clara, it's me."

"Then what was the name of the restaurant? What was it?"

"I can't remember!" Meta smiles into my hair at that. It's totally true. Of course he wouldn't remember.

"My birthday. When is it?"

"November twenty third. That's right, isn't it? I got that one right."

"It's pretty basic information. 'Anyone could know that. Say something only you could say. Tell me something only Danny would know."

"I love you," he says.

"No. No, no, no. I'm sorry, but no. Anybody could say that. Anybody would know to say that. Say something only you could tell me. Prove to me you are really Danny."

"How?"

"I love you means nothing right now. Not until I know who's talking. Say something only Danny could say."

"Clara ..."

"Danny, if that is you...Wherever you are... Whatever it takes, I will be with you again, I swear."

A look of fear enters his eyes. "No, you won't. You are not coming here."

"Nothing will stop me, nothing in the world, as soon as I know it's you."

"There is only one way to come here, and you are not doing that."

"I'll do anything, Danny, anything. Just say something only you could say."

"Clara, you have your life. You have your whole life to live. You have to stay there."

"No. I have to be with Danny Pink."

"I love you."

"Stop saying that! Don't say that. If you say that again, I swear I will switch this thing off."

He nods, coming to a decision. "Clara?"

"Yes?"

He takes a deep breath. "I love you."

I refuse to cry. I feel Meta hold me tighter. He would do the same I know. Say goodbye to save the woman he loves. Tell her what she doesn't want so he doesn't do anything stupid. He collapses in a chair and starts crying.

The worker messes with something on the tablet. "These emotions, they're terribly difficult. But, you know, we've got a thing for that. We can help with all these difficult feelings. Just press this."

He pauses. "I'll leave you to make a decision." He leaves, forgetting that we are still here. And there is no way that he's going to delete anything.

I kneel in front of him. "Don't Danny. It's not worth it."

Meta places his hands on his shoulders. "I know it hurts right now. But forgetting who you are, who she is, is not worth the pain relief. This might be life after death, but remembering her is what keeps you alive."

Danny's hand hovers over the delete button. Meta and I look at each other. We can't force this decision. It has to be his. I know it will be the right one. I feel guilty. So guilty. He is not one that I can save. I've been thinking about that since realizing where I was. He has to feel in order to find Clara.

In all likelihood, Meta and I will become cybermen as well. Except, there are holes in that theory. Neither of us died on Earth. Now, obviously, the Master or Missy or what're she's calling herself, would have an interest in keeping us alive. But where are our bodies? What's going to happen to Meta and I when the rain starts to fall?


	5. Chapter 5

He doesn't press it. Meta and I both relax after that. I close my eyes as I think about what's going on right now. Junior is probably just about being made President of Earth. I smile at the thought. That's quite hilarious really. It was funny when I believed it was the Doctor. But now? It's the Doctors son who I helped raise. The poor poor world being led by a child. Well, I suppose he's no longer a child.

We all look up as the lights start to flicker. The man from before returns along with a young boy. I recongise him as the boy that Danny killed in war. "Well, this is a bit exciting!" the man exclaims.

"What's happening?" Danny asks.

"Well, to cut a long story short, it looks like we might all be going home."

"Home? From the afterlife?"

"Well, when I said afterlife, I was being a tiny bit poetic. And Nethersphere's just a cool name we come up with during a spit-ball."

"What is this place?"

"Well, you have to think of it as a data cloud. You know, for storing data. In this case, it's the storage of recently deceased minds."

"We're in a cloud?"

"A sort of cloud, yeah."

"And what's happening to it?"

"What happens to any cloud when it starts to rain." Meta and I share a look.

"Are you telling me we're going back? What, back to our bodies?"

"And the extra good news is, there's been a bit of an upgrade." This is where I'm a bit uncertain. Did Missy turn us into cybermen? Des Meta even have a body? He became dust in my arms. Perhaps that was an allusion? Maybe the Master teleported him? It's not completely absurd to think that.

As for me, the Master could have taken my body from Gallifrey. Being as resourceful as she is, it would have been easy. My attention is brought back to my surroundings by a screeching sound. It's like metal bending into a different shape. And then I feel it. A pull. My mind is being pulled from the Nethersphere. Meta and Danny are doing the same as me. As is the boy. Screech, bend, pull, release. And then my vision goes red.

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

I open my eyes only to snap them shut again. I groan at the intense pain behind my eyes. "Why? Why must the universe insist that I keep doing this? Can't I just live and die like a normal person?"

I take a few deep breaths to steady myself. When I finally am able to open my eyes, I find myself in a glass box. What am I? Snow White? I pause at the thought. I do have the black hair. Oh come on! Why are so many fairy tales interwoven with this?

I look around and find that the box has sensed that I'm alive and that's how I'm breathing. My once coffin is now keeping me alive. There is a release on the inside. I move the catch and the glass opens, allowing me to sit up and take in the rest of my surroundings.

Judging by the movement, I'd say I'm on a plane. Oh. Plane. Which means...I get up and steady myself before spotting another glass case. Meta! I sigh in relief as we make eye contact. He finds and releases the catch. I hug him immediately. "Hey. I'm okay," he says.

I make a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob. "You're alive. Were both alive." And then I notice something very odd. My fingers drift to his pulse point. "Meta you..."

I sucks in a breath. "Two. Two hearts." He closes his eyes and does an internal check. "All systems working. All time lord systems."

"What is she up to?"

He shakes his head. "I don't know. But we better find out. Come on." With that, he grabs my hand, and we help each other out of the cargo hold.

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

We find ourselves entering a conference room. Kate Lethbridge Stewart is answering a question that we missed. "Too conspicuous. We need your location concealed, not advertised. From now on you're a moving target."

The whole room turns to see us. Junior gapes and freezes. I smile. "You all just going to stand there or are you going to give me a proper welcome?"

That seems to snap him out of it. He charges over like a long legged spider and sweeps me into his arms, if a little awkwardly. I hold him close. "Hello little raggedy man."

"I'm sorry," he says.

I pull back and look him in the eye. "What for?"

He searches my face and seems to realize something. He gives me a wry smile. "Spoilers." Really? I want to question him but I know I can't. He turns from me and faces Meta. "Hello Uncle."

Meta raises an eyebrow. "Hello Doctor." Junior smiles at this.

Kate interrupts. "Drifter, Professor. You're alive."

I smile at her. "The advantage of being connected to an evil mastermind. How are you Kate?"

"Quite well thank you."

The girl with glasses and a bow tie comes and smiles at me. Oh yes. I liked her. I should make sure that works out. "It's good to see you again Drift."

I nod at her. "Keep up the good work Osgood." I wonder where she met me. This me. I was there that one time as Jane Ryder.

"Professor?" Meta questions.

"Yes sir. A higher level than doctor I think you said is why you chose it."

Junior grumbles and I bite my lip in a grin. Meta nods. "Yes. Sounds about right." He notices the painting of her father and moves toward it. "Ah, I see you're bringing your Dad along, too. That's nice. I quite liked him."

Junior...no. Doctor. He's the Doctor now. The Doctor moves to stand with his...uncle.

An Indian Army officer salutes them in turn. "Sir. Sir."

"Oh, don't do that. You look like you're self-concussing, which would explain all of military history, now I think about it," the Doctor comments. Meta, the Professor, snickers, as do I.

"Colonel Ahmed, sir. Privileged to meet you."

"Love your outfit, Colonel Ahmed," Meta comments.

"Are you in the Scouts? Are you a Man Scout? I didn't know they had those," Junior adds.

I give him a look. "Rude. I apologies for my nephew colonel."

"it's quite alright. It was Captain Scarlet."

"Sorry?" Osgood asks.

"Not Thunderbirds."

"Oh God, so it was..."

Meta takes a sip of a hot tea and spits it back into the cup. "My confidence is growing every minute."

Kate speaks to the captain. "The President is on board and breathing."

The Doctor drinks his coffee. "Mind you, me and Sylvia Anderson, you've never seen a foxtrot like it. Hang on a second. The President? We don't want Americans bobbing around the place. They'll only start praying."

"Not the President of America, sir. The President of Earth," Ahmed corrects.

Professor Meta sits at the head of the table and adds sugar to his tea. "There isn't one."

Ahmed looks serious. "There is now."

"The incursion protocols have been agreed internationally. In the event of full-scale invasion, an Earth President is inducted immediately, with complete authority over every nation state. There was only one practical candidate," Kate explains.

"Is that your lot's solution for everything? Vote for an idiot?" He says nodding at the sweeter taste of his tea.

"If you say so, Mister President. So long as you're on this plane, you're the Commander in Chief of every army on Earth. It would have been your nephew, but seeing as how you're alive again, you are the more experience. Every world leader is currently awaiting your instructions. You are the Chief Executive Officer of the human race Proffesor. Any questions?"

The intercom comes on. "This is your captain speaking. Please prepare for take-off."

The Doctor sits down heavily next to the Professor with wide eyes. I smile and close Meta's jaw. "You better get use to it love. You're king of the world." I have to admit to myself though, it makes sense, even if I never saw it coming.

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

After finally coming out of his stupor, Meta makes the decision to pay the Master a visit. We head to Osgood's laboratory. Missy wakes up on her box trolley, next to the Tardis.

Meta strokes it fondly as the Doctor asks her a question. "Why are you still alive?"

"You saved me," she answers.

"I saved Gallifrey." I smile proudly at him.

"Yes, Gallifrey too, I suppose. There's always collateral damage with your family and me. It's our Paris. Rather kinky that." She winks at me and Meta. Ugh.

"Gallifrey's lost in another dimension," Junior continues.

"Yes and no."

"Meaning?" Meta asks.

"Yes, it's in another dimension. No, it's not lost."

"You know where it is?" There is hope there. The current Doctor didn't grow up with her, but the Professor did.

"Yep! You know the best part about knowing?" She looks him the eye. "Not telling you."

Ahmed comes onto the intercom. "Mister President, sir, we're ready for you up here."

"Remember all those years when all you wanted to do was to rule the world?" Meta gesture around him and smiles cheekily. "On my way."

"Thank you, Mister President," Ahmed answers.

He and the Doctor go to see what Osgood is working on. I stand squarely in front of Missy. "How'd you escape? How'd you get my body? Or...the Professor's for that matter?"

"Why would I tell you how? That's no fun. The why is so much more interesting."

"Why then?"

"Do I really have to tell you Drift? Or should I call you Jane?"

I stiffen visibly. "What..."

"Don't deny it. I'm crazy not blind. How could I resist keeping you. Being so brave and giving your life for the Doctor's son. I must say I would have enjoyed meeting his mother. But you made quite an impression. Can't you tell? I have your hair."

I quirk my eyebrow at her. "And the Professor?"

"You mean the Meta Crisis? Well I couldn't very well bring back the Doctor now could I? His death was a fixed point even to his burial. I'm insane but not that much. But your Meta, well he knows me too. We grew up together."

I smirk. "So that's the play this time. Thank you." With that I walk away from her and her confusion.

I join the others as Osgood speaks. "The clouds caused by the exploding Cybermen, they haven't dispersed. They're still there. In fact, they've expanded and are covering almost all the land masses. We're all looking at the graveyards. Maybe we should be looking up? What do you think?"

"Brilliant," Meta exclaims.

"All of time and space?" the Doctor asks.

"Sorry?"

"Just something for your bucket list," he says as we walks out.

Meta looks at me expecting me to follow. "You two go ahead. I'm going to supervise down here."

He nodds. "Be careful." He gives me a quick kiss before rushing out again. I look over Osgood's shoulder to help her out. She's not dying today. I missed this. I miss changing things for the better. It's been a long time since the last episode I lived through.


	6. Chapter 6

**Heres another chapter. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the reviewers. 10th Squad 3rd Seat, Margie-me, my fandom is better than yours, and bored 411.**

 **Also, there is a contest on inkitt dot com. Hopefully, I'm going to be posting "Across the Dark" on it. I'm under the same pen name. Hopefully my computer doesn't give me too many issues. It's old and cranky. :) Anyway, carry on.**

"Hey Missy you're so fine **,** you're so fine you blow my mind. Hey Missy. Hey, hey, hey Missy," she sings.

That's my warning. I give her a withering look. "I think I prefer Mickey. Now there was a real man who didn't change into an egotistical woman. Been a long time since I've seen him."

"Hey Missy you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind. Hey Missy. Hey, hey, hey Missy," she continues. "Excuse me. Bowtie." Osgood looks at her. "Hi. Can I tell you something really important?"

Osgood looks at me before asking,"What."

"I have to whisper it. It's, like, so important to everyone on this plane. You'll get in trouble if you don't listen."

"Right. If it was that important, why would you tell us?"

"Well, look at me, I'm bananas. Come on. Just a wee bit closer. Just a little closer."

I step in front of her. "Whatever you have to say you can say to me."

"Oh alright then. Spoil my fun."

"There are two armed men directly behind you," I remind her.

"Don't disappoint me."

I lean in close. I feel her slip something into my pocket. Handcuffs I know. But that isn't going to work for me. I have a few tricks of my own.

"I'm going to kill her in a minute." She looks at Osgood who looks confused. "I'm not even kidding. She's going to be as dead as a fish on a slab any second now, all floppy and making smells. But don't tell the boys. This is our secret girl plan."

"Why would you bother killing me? I'm not even important."

"Oh, silly. Why does one pop a balloon? Because you're pretty. You should have a bit more confidence in yourself."

"Well at least you have that right. She is pretty. But by the end of the day, you'll be dust in the wind.

"Okay. Sorry, we've got work to do." Osgood sits back down again and I move over to her to hold the illusion.

"All right, fine. You get on. You get that finished. Would a countdown help you focus at all?"

"No, that's okay," Osgood says.

"Why not?" I smile.

"Ten. Don't be scared yet, cos I'm still in double figures."

"I'm not scared." I place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Nine. Well, no, of course you're not, cos you know you're dying anyway. Eight. Human beings are born life spans are hilarious."

"Please be quiet."

"Seven. You know from the minute you slop out, you're rotting, decaying. The stench of you. Phew. I'm never going to get this place clean. Three."

"Three?"

"I'm accelerating for dramatic effect. Oh! What's that in your pocket Drift?"

"Oh you mean this?" I pull out her vaporizing device.

She pulls and realizes that one of her hands is still cuffed to the trolley. "Oh my giddy aunt. You are clever."

"Oh, you flatter me." I make a show of looking at her dangerous toy.

"I'd like that back you know?"

"I'm sure you would. In fact, I'm almost certain that you're already planning it."

"Well," she says. "It's just so hard to be unpredictable to someone who knows everything." She reaches her hands together and swerves the plane using something on her wrist.

I feel myself tense up. An old memory coming to the forefront of my mind. This is how I ended up in the void in the first place. A plane crash gone wrong. Sound rushes through my ears as I'm sent into a panic. Not again. Not again. Please don't do this to me again.

"Breath," Meta places his hands on the sides of my face. "You're okay. Just breath. Focus on me." I do and I come back to presence. I'm going to be okay. He's here now.

"Ask me! Come on, you know you want to. You want to know what my plan is. You'll be surprised. I've got a gift for your uncle. You know, I've been up and down your family's timeline, meeting all those silly people who died to keep you all alive. And you know what I worked out? What all of you really need," Missy is saying to the Doctor. She's free. She got free?

"For what?" Meta asks.

"To know that you're just like me!" she shouts at him.

The Tardis phone rings. "Oh, and now it begins. Doctor, I do believe you're on call. Miss Oswald expects. Who else but the girl who's got your number? Whoops!"

"It was you!" he exclaims.

"Computer helpline, love. That's the one. Best helpline in the universe."

"You put us together," he realizes.

"I kept you together."

"She's the woman quite keen on keeping you together," I say.

"Why?" he asks.

"Cos she's perfect, innit? The control freak and the man who should never be controlled. You'd go to hell if she asked. And she would. The phone's ringing, Doctor. Can you hear that? Now that is the sound of your chain being yanked. Heel, Doctor!" She mimicked Clara, "Help me, Doctor. Help me. Help me, Doctor."

He answers the phone. "Clara?" He continues the conversation. "Danny's dead, Clara... Clara?" He grimaces as she answers. "Clara, don't do it. Just don't do it!...I know what it does. If you turn it on he'll become a Cyberman...Not yet, he isn't...Stop the pain and he'll kill you!"

His face becomes panicked. "I'm not going to help him commit suicide...Clara? Clara, no!" He slams down the phone as she hangs up on him.

Kate rushes in. "Professor! The Cybermen are in. The plane's going down."

"Oh, great. It's the daughter one. Do you like her? I like her."

Meta grabs onto me as he grasps a cargo strap. The Doctor grabs one as well. But Kate gets sucked out when Missy open the hatch.

"Why did you do that? You didn't have to do that!" Meta shouts at her.

"Oh, don't be so selfish. I'm going to miss her, too. In fact, you know what? Just for that, I'm leaving. Boys, blow up this plane and, I don't know, Belgium, yeah? Kill some Belgians. Might as well. They're not even French. Byeeee!"

She waves her hand at me and I see her evaporation device. I check my own hand. It's gone. She took it back from me. Probably when I was having a panic attack. She teleports herself away.

And then the unthinkable. An explosion throws us from the plane, and we end up in a free fall. My hand is hanging on to Meta's in a death grip. My eyes are squeezed shut as I remember this feeling. There is no lightning this time, but I can't shake the feeling that I will fall into the void all over again. I can't go back to the dark. I just can't.


	7. Chapter 7

**So I didn't get AtD up in time for the contest but I do now have an inkitt account which means I can post my original stories. I'll let you know when I have something up if you're interested. Anyway...read. :D**

We keep falling. Falling so fast that we're nearly suspended. Meta pulls me into his arms and I embrace him tightly. I try to remember what happened the first time. He survived. How?

And then I hear it. The TARDIS. So we fall...and then we land. In the zero room. Now we really are suspended in space. There is nothing in the zero room. It's a place where telepathy and gravity doesn't touch. Which I good, because it means we land in a cushion of air.

The three of us scramble out of it and into the console room. We have to be quick to put the TARDIS into the vortex so she doesn't hit the ground. We all scramble around doing our own part in the piloting. When we finally make it into vortex, we collapses in relief.

"Well, that was fun," Meta laughs.

I narrow my eyes at him, "Oh yeah. I've never had so much fun in my life!"

He smiles at me cheekily as the Doctor scoffs. "Well maybe we should do it again some time."

I look at him thoughtfully. "You know, I can't tell if you can't understand sarcasm, or if you're actually using sarcasm."

"I don't think it really matters does it? Oh, Clara!" He jumps up and gets back to the console.

He traces her call, and hastily lands. The breaks have barely stopped screeching before he's already running to the door. Meta and I follow close behind him as he rushes out the door. "Clara, don't!"

"Help me," she says.

"If you do what you're trying to do, if you succeed, he will snap you."

"No." She refuses to believe him.

He tries to convince her anyway. "Then he will step over your broken body and break another and another and another. He will never stop."

"I will not harm her." I hate seeing Danny like this. Pale and battered. He looks like death. Death in a metal suit.

"P E. P E. P E," the Doctor mumbles.

"Sir," Danny addresses him.

"You were right. I am a soldier. But the difference is that it wasn't my choice. It was my inheritance. My father was a soldier. My mother, she was kind but there was a wolf in her too. My uncle and my aunt," he gestures to us. "They are soldiers as well. The wars my family has fought..." He trails off in memory. I have to rein in my emotion as I realize that his innocence is gone.

Meta needs to make a point now that our nephew is unable to. "I had a friend once. We ran together when I was little. And I thought we were the same. But when we grew up, we weren't. Now, she's trying to tear the world apart, and we can't run fast enough to hold it together. The difference is this." He puts a hand on Danny's chest.

I always remembered this line. It helped me through the dark. "Pain is a gift. Without the capacity for pain, we can't feel the hurt we inflict."

"Are you telling me seriously, for real, that you can?" he asks all of us.

"Of course I can," the Doctor says.

"Then shame on you, Doctor. Shame on all of you."

"Yes. Oh, yes," Meta agrees. The clouds rumble overhead. "Danny, Danny, I need you to tell us. What are the clouds going to do? What is the plan?"

"How would I know?"

"You're part of a hive mind now. Presumably that's how you found Clara. Just look," the Doctor instructs.

"I can't see much."

"Look harder," he pushes.

"Clara, watch this. This is who the Doctor is. Watch the blood-soaked old general in action. I can't see properly, sir, because this needs activating. If you want to know what's coming, you have to switch it on." He looks at each of in turn. " And didn't all of those beautiful speeches just disappear in the face of a tactical advantage? Officers."

The Doctor shakes his head and backs away. I place a hand on his shoulder as Meta makes the choice. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But we need to know."

"Yes. Yes, you do."

"Give me the screwdriver," Clara says to the Doctor.

"No," he says.

"It's not your job to protect him from this Clara," I tell her.

"Yes it is."

"No." I shake my head. "It's not." I turn to him and hold out my hand. "Let me see it."

"No," he says to me.

"I have so much blood on my hands already. He was never one I could save. I tried. I always try. But not today. Not him. Give it to me, Doctor. Do as you are told."

He looks at Danny and finally relents with a sigh. He hands me his screwdriver and Danny says, "Typical officer. Got to keep those hands clean."

I face Danny and square my shoulders. "You're wrong Mr. Pink. This is not a soldier choice. This is the decision of a family member. His mother was my sister and I will not let him do this. And for the record, I am the superior officer, and I always believed that it was my job to protect my charges. Not the other way around."

I raise the screwdriver and look at Clara in a silent question. She nods and looks at Danny. "I wasn't very good at it, but I did love you."

"I love you too."

"I'm never going to say that again," she's trying so hard not to cry.

"Me neither."

"Ready?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"Goodbye, Danny," Clara says one last time.

"Goodbye, Clara."

I activate the screwdriver. His face goes blank and he straightens up. I turn it off and Clara walks to him and wraps her arm around him.

"Clara, no! Step away! He's activating! Clara, step away now! Don't. Danny. Danny, if you can hear me, if you're still there, what are the clouds going to do?" the Doctor asks.

"The rain will fall again. All humanity will die," Danny's voice is now monotone.

"And rise again as Cybermen," Meta confirms.

"Correct."

"How do we stop it?"

"We cannot be stopped."

Just then, Missy shows up with an umbrella. I eye her with disdain. "How dare you desecrate the sanctity of Mary Poppins."

"Oh, but it was brilliant! Oh, I love the telly here, but did you see that? Oh, Clara, you poor thing. You must feel like death. Let me pop away the pain." She takes out her thing to evaporate her but the Doctor grabs it and throws it away.

"Don't you dare!"

"Don't you think about it!" Meta warns.

"Oh, sorry, hon, I'm just getting a bit carried away. It's your friends, they're so more-ish. Hmm?"

Clara picks up Missy's thing and returns to Danny's metal chest. Missy just scoffs at Meta. "Oh, stop looking all cross-pants. I'm here to give you a gift. Could you at least try and be excited?"

"What gift?" He asks.

She speaks into her bracelet. "Cyber dears!"

The Cybermen come to attention. "Look at Mummy! Raise your arms. Lower your arms. Raise your right. Lower your right. Turn on the spot. There are exits at the front and rear of the aircraft. Please follow the lights up the aisle. You see, Professor?" she spits the name.

"The power to slaughter whole worlds at a time, then make them do a safety briefing. Everyone who ever lived, man, woman and child, is now at my command. An indestructible army to rage across the universe. The more they kill, the more they recruit. Happy birthday. Oh! You didn't know, did you? It's lucky one of us remembers these things. Happy birthday Mister President." She sings the last part like Marilyn Monroe.

She puts the braclet on her wrist and bows to him. Is eyes widen with horror. He looks at me and I can feel his panic. I smile softly. Everything's going to be fine.


	8. Chapter 8

With the Professor now in control, all the cybermen bow their heads toward him. Missy smiles. "Tiny bit pleased? Oh, go on, crack a smile. I want to see if your eyes can krinkle or if they're forever wide."

"All of this, just to give me an army?"

"Well, I don't need one, do I? Armies are for people who think they're right. And nobody thinks they're righter than you. Well, maybe your lover, possible your nephew but you were once the original Doctor. Give a good man firepower, and he'll never run out of people to kill."

"I don't want an army!"

"Well, that's the trouble! Yes, you do! You've always wanted one! All those people suffering in the Dalek camps? Now you can save them. All those bad guys winning all the wars? Go and get the good guys back."

"Nobody can have that power," I tell her.

"He will, because he doesn't have a choice." She turns back to him. "There's only way you can stop these clouds from opening up and killing all your little pets down here. Conquer the universe, Mister President. Show a bad girl how it's done."

She bows low. Meta throws the braclet away in disgust. "Why are you doing this?"

"I need you to know we're not so different. I need my friend back. Every battle, every war, every invasion. From now on, you decide the outcome. What's the matter, Mister President? Don't you trust yourself?"

"No. I don't. Why do you think I never travel alone? Why do you think I need them?" He grabs my hand. "I need someone to stop me, and sometimes I need the chance to stop someone."

"You became sappy. I don't like it." She strokes the Doctor's arm. "What about you? You could use an army. You could go back to Trenzalore. You could save your father. You wouldn't have to be the Doctor anymore." He shakes his head. "Why not? Aren't you a good man?"

He freezes for a moment and I feel his thoughts race in that little buzz in the back of my head. Realization dawn. "Thank you. Thank you so much." He kisses her cheek gently.

"I really didn't know. I wasn't sure. You lose sight sometimes. Thank you! I am not a good man! I am not a bad man. I am not a hero. And I'm definitely not a leader. And no, I'm not an officer. Do you know what I am? I am an idiot, with a box and a screwdriver. Just passing through, helping out, learning. I don't need an army. None of us do. We never have, because we've got them. Always them. The ones who stop us, and the ones that we stop. Because love, it's not an emotion. Love is a promise."

I look on in pride as Danny puts his arm around Clara. My little raggedy man has grown up. He looks at me. "No. More than a promise. Love is a choice. It's a choice that every creature makes. Not just humans, or time lords. Everyone. Even cybermen. And he will never hurt her. P E, catch!" He picks up the control braclet and tosses it to him.

"You didn't notice, did you? While you were playing simon says, while you where showing off, the one soldier not obeying." I smile widely.

"No, that's wrong. That's impossible."

"The rain will not fall." Danny lets go of Clara and puts on the control bracelet as he walks towards Missy.

"Oh? Why won't it?"

"The clouds will burn."

"And who'll burn them?"

"I will burn them."

"How?"

"I will burn."

"One burning Cyberman is hardly going to save the planet."

He leans in. "Correct."

"Attention!" The Cybermen are now under his control. "This is not a good day. This is Earth's darkest hour. And look at you miserable lot. We are the Fallen. But today, we shall rise. The army of the dead will save the land of the living. This is not the order of a general, nor the whim of a lunatic."

"Excuse me?" Missy says.

"This is a choice. This is a promise. The promise of a soldier!" he looks at Clara. "You will sleep safe tonight."

With that, he rockets into the air, along with every other cybermen in the world. A bright flash of light in the sky causes a chain reaction. Moment by moment, the clouds burn and fade away as we stand watch.

"Well. The clouds have all gone," Clara says numbly.

"Yes, burned up. Totally burnt. Burnt to nothing. Sorry," her Doctor confirms.

"Ten zero eleven, zero zero by zero two."

Meta spins to look at Missy. What did you say?"

"The current coordinates of Gallifrey. It's returned to it's original location."

"You are lying," I say coolly.

"We can, we can go together."

"You'd be clapped in irons," the Doctor reminds her.

"If you like," she shrugs.

"I'm assuming you'll remember those coordinates?" Clara holds out Missy's thing towards her.

"No. No, don't you dare. I won't let you," the Doctor panics.

"Clara, put it down," Meta urges.

"Old friend, is she? If you have ever let this creature live, everything that happened today, is on you. All of it, on each of you. And you're not going to let her live again."

"Clara, all I'm doing is not letting you kill her. I never said I was letting her live." The Doctor looks resigned.

"Really?"

"If that's the only thing that will stop you, yes." I take it from Clara before he can.

"My job remember."

"Ryder..."

I hold my hand up. "Don't."

"Seriously. Oh, Jane Ryder. To save their souls? But who, my dear, will save yours?"

"You can't save something that's already lost."

"Say something nice. Please?"

Meta looks sadly at her, as he places his hand on mind. I get the message. We do this together. "You win," he says.

"I know."

Before we get the chance to pull the trigger, another soy rings out from behind us. We turn and Clara spots something. "Doctor!"

We run to where Kate is lying on the ground.

"Kate. She's breathing! She's alive! She can't be here," the Doctor says.

"She is." Clara looks at us.

"She fell out of a plane. The Cyberman must have caught her," Meta says.

"Doctor, she's talking about her dad."

"Of course. The Earth's darkest hour and ours. Where else would you be?" Meta turns and sees the Cyberman. He salutes him, knowing that it's the Brigadier. "Thank you."

After a moment of silence, we all head to the TARDIS. The Doctor carries Kate as she is still unconscious. We say nothing as we take Kate to a hospital and drop her off. The events of the day to draining on us.

But then Clara speaks up. "Take me home."

"Clara..." I begin to protest.

"Please. I just...I need to be alone for a bit. I need to go home."

The Doctor doesn't fight her. "Okay."

Again, we are silent as we drop her off. When we land she comes over to me. "You changed your face too."

I nod. "A long time ago now."

She nods in understanding she doesn't feel. "Right. Well, I'm glad you're alive." She looks at Meta. "You too. You really do look like his dad."

He smiles at her. "I sort of was once." He pauses." Nice to meet you too Clara."

With that, she walks out, and we leave into the vortex.


	9. Chapter 9

**I feel bad for not getting this to you as quickly as the first one but my inspiration started dwindling a bit when life landed on top of me. But I got it back I think! So that's good news. You're all so wonderful and I just want to thank all of you again for reviews and favorites and follows. So even though this is a little more slow going, we are going to get there. I have plans. *rubs hands together.* yeah. You're scared now. You better read. :P**

Meta smiles tightly as we are now all alone. "Right, well..."

"Yes. Perhaps dinner would be appropriate after returning from the dead. I'm sure the old girl has something in the kitchen." The Doctor moves to go into the corridor.

"I'll help you," I move to follow.

"I'll get reaquainted with the old girl." I smile at Meta in thanks and then disappear into the hallway.

We head to the kitchen in companionable silence. The kitchen hasn't changed. It looks exactly as it always did. It's a comforting piece of familiarity. The Doctor pulls some sort of left overs from the refrigerator and begins to hear it up. As we wait, we side across from each other at the island.

I sip on the tea that the TARDIS slides in front of me. I wait as I let him gather his thoughts. I know he has questions, and the first one he asks isn't the one I expect. "What season are we in now?"

I place down my cup. "You know...I only ever told you about the tellie because you needed to understand happy endings were possible. That, and I would have made a paradox if I didn't. Very clever of you by the way." When I saw his bow tie self during the fiftieth anniversary he told me that I had told him. Rose had been pregnant with him at the time.

"Call it curiosity. I'd like to know."

I sigh. "Wrapping up season eight. You now have the Christmas special and that's that. Season nine will start."

"And what happens then?" I start to answer him but he interrupts me. "Wait. Let me guess. Spoilers."

"Actually I was going to say that I didn't get that far but that works too." I take another drink.

"That's it then. No more foreknowledge?"

"No. That's it. Though I think I prefer the term pre-knowledge. It makes more sense."

"Fair enough."

We stare at each other for a moment before I say, "Next question?"

"Just one." I nod for him to ask it. "How many times...can you forgive me?"

I cock my head at him. "Forgive you? For what? You haven't done anything."

"But if I were to do something. Something unforgivable, could you still..." He trails off.

I have no idea why he is asking me this. Maybe because he's going to lie to Clara? I don't know. I can't think of anything else. So answer with the truth. "My little Raggedy man. You're like a son to me. I will always forgive you...no matter what."

He nods. "Light will return to the dark."

I furrow my brow. "What?"

"Just an old phrase from a lifetime ago."

"What's it mean?"

He pauses for a long time. He studies me like I'm a science project. "Forgive me.' It means forgive me."

I frown at him. "I will always forgive you sweetheart. I've been through hell and back. I've...been through everything you can imagine. And I've discovered something." I look at him closely. "The hardest person to forgive is yourself. And I did that a while ago. You don't have to ask for my forgiveness sweetheart. It's already given. You just need to forgive yourself. For whatever it is that's bothering you."

"Maybe one day." We finish our tea in silence. We don't know each other very well any more. "I need to talk to Uncle Meta."

"Uncle. There's something you aren't telling me."

"Such is life in our family."

"Okay." I move to the door way. "I'll send him into you and make myself scarce for a bit." He nods his thanks and I set off to the console room.

"Everything good?" he asks.

"He'd like to talk to you now actually."

"Oh. Right. I'll just...hey." He lifts my chin to look at me and brushes a tear away. "He's okay. He'll be okay."

"I know. He just looks so broken."

"Broken can heal. We're proof of that."

With that he leaves, and I'm left standing with the TARDIS. She hums her welcome in my mind. "Hello old girl. I missed you." I curl up in the jump seat. "What shall we talk about? I feel like we need some happy stories."

She hums again in agreement. "I was in the middle of telling you a story wasn't i?"

A sign appears on the screen showing me a reminder of where I left off. "Right. Okay. So Captain America looked at the vending machine, and put the flash drive inside of it before heading off to talk to the old guy with the glasses. I don't remember his name. Anyway..." And so continues the story of the winter soldier.


	10. Chapter 10

**Mwhahahaha. Here we go my lovelies. Let's start this ball rolling in the right direction shall we. I'm so excited!**

I must have fallen asleep because I wake up in my old room on the TARDIS. Meta is sitting in the bed next to me, specs on his nose and book in his hands. "Morning sleepy head."

"Mmm. Where's...the Doctor?"

"The library. He's quite fond of philosophy."

I smile as Meta wrinkles his nose in distaste. "Like you don't philosophize all the time."

"Exactly. I leave that to Aristotle and Plato. Now that man knew how to party. One time..."

I plant a quick kiss on his lips to shut him up. "What did you boys talk about while I was sleeping?"

"Can we talk about it later," he asks, looking me over with roaming eyes.

"Nope. It's important."

He sighs. "We discussed the matter of the Masters...Missy's TARDIS. We can't leave it with UNIT. He insists we need to take it. Said that he would explain it to both of us after you woke up."

"Well, there isn't any time to waste then." I jump out of the bed and slip my shoes back on before heading out the bedroom door. Meta isn't far behind me as we head to the library.

We do indeed find the Doctor there. His gray eyebrows are furrowed in concentration as he goes over his notebook, making scratch marks with his pencil. He looks up us as we enter. "Right. You're awake. That's good."

"Yes. So is sleep." I smile cheekily. I plop down on the arm chair in front of him. Meta rests on the arm next to me. "So, another TARDIS?"

The Doctor sets his pencil down. "Yes. I can't tell you much but the basic gist of the thing is this. You're going to take that TARDIS and travel to a point in my past. From there, things will happen, blah blah blah, until we catch up to each other's time lines."

We sit in silence trying to process that. "Not one for subtlety are you," Meta breaks it first.

"No. I prefer to get to the point."

"And that's fine. Less time wasted that way. Where in your timeline?" I ask.

"Find Rory Williams. That's all I can say for that."

I huff in frustration. "Yeah that's real helpful. He's practically everywhere he dies so much." His face falls. "I didn't mean that. He and Amy live the rest of their lives just fine."

"I'm sorry," he says again. I have no idea why he keeps on apologizing. I'm about to start grilling him about it but meta quickly changes gears. We start making plans.

We go to UNIT headquarters and see that they had found the TARDIS we were looking for. "We can't stop you from taking it can we?"

I turn and see Osgood. I sigh and smile. "Oh good. You're alive." I'd completely forgot about her until just now but I refuse to feel guilty.

"No. You can't stop us," Meta tells her.

"All right. I'll just...See you later then." She turns to walk away.

The Doctor stops her. "Osgood." She looks at him. "...you did well."

She smiles. "Thank you Doctor." And then she leaves us to our own devices.

We say our goodbyes to the latest version of the Doctor Junior. He's not so very affectionate. I tell him to tell Clara the truth. He says he'll think about it. He's going to do more than that though. He's mistaken if he thinks I'm going to let him off that easy in the future. And I will be there. I have no reason to believe otherwise. Except for one phrase that's bothering me. The light will return to the dark. What's that suppose to mean?

Our TARDIS is beautiful. She's not like sexy but she is gorgeous in her own right. And thankful as ever to be rid of the Master. It makes it easy to bond with her because of it.

We begin to follow Rory's timeline just as the Doctor instructed. And then we hit a snag. Rory drops off our radar. I do a historical check and find him at stonehenge. Oh great, this means we have to deal with the pandoraca doesn't it? I loved that episode but it was hard to follow when seeing everything going on. This would be different. The road is rocky at best. Metaphorically speaking for the TARDIS'.

We bump around as the cloister bells ring. "You still suck at driving!"

"More fun that way!" He shouts back and we laugh in delight. The landing is rough but we survived. Time to face the outside world. "Ready?"

I smile up at him. "Always." He takes my hand and we move out the doors together. We turn to see the disguise that our ship has taken for herself. A red telephone booth? "Did you have to go with the Bill and Ted thing?" She hums a response in my mind that is almost pure sass in its execution. She's definitely younger than sexy.

We take in our surroundings. A quiet street with plenty of trees and still buildings. I turn to walk into any direction and I run smack into River. "Oh!"

She smiles. "Hello sweetie."

"Hello Darling. You mind giving me a heads up where I am. Totally lost."

She smiles. "Well you're a bit under dressed for a wedding."

"Ooh I love weddings. Who's the happy couple?" Meta starts bouncing on his feet.

Comprehension dawns for me. "Ah. Reset button. Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue."

"Very well done." River winks.

"Right. Well I'll see you later than River." I grab the lapels of metas jacket. "Come on. We don't want to be late to the party. But I need to get dressed first."

"See you around Drift, Professor."

"Nice seeing you River." With that, we stumble into our ship and set off to find appropriate attire. We have a wedding to crash.


	11. Chapter 11

**sorry this is taking so long. I promise I havent forgotten you guys. But I have a new puppy. (Named her Ryder lol) Not that you guys care about that but I felt you deserved an explanation.**

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"

is playing by the time we sneak into the reception. Any's laughter catches my attention. "You're terrible. That is embarrassing!"

My nephew the Doctor is dancing like a drunk giraffe and teaching the kids to do it too. "That's it. That's good. Keep it loose."

I reach for Metas hand as we watch for a moment. The Doctor turns and the smile on his face drops when he catches sight on me. His eyes move to Meta and practically bulge out of his head. His mouth gapes open like a fish. He's frozen, unable to move and unable to believe. So I move first. I drop the hand holding mine and head to him. Doctor Junior, all grown up.

"Not possible. It's not possible."

I smile softly, "What did I tell you about impossible things? You reset the universe and that should be impossible. What am I saying? You exist in the first place. That shouldn't be possible either."

"Well our family seems to defy it all the time huh?" A small smile begins to form. "Is it really you Auntie?"

A giggle escapes my lips. "Come here." I wrap my arms around him and he buries his face in my neck.

"Why is dad here? He's so young with that face," he asks as he pulls away.

I remember that he saw Meta. "Oh no. That's not...that's Meta."

"Meta? As in the uncle who died before I was born?"

I nod. "Yes."

"How?"

"Spoilers."

He groans. "Always with the spoilers."

We motion Meta over and he introduces himself. "Hello. I'm Meta but as far as anyone else is concerned, I'm the Professor."

"Why Professor?"

"Because it's higher than Doctor." They begin to argue good naturely about titles and rank and I just smile at the surreal feeling to the whole thing.

The mood breaks as Amy and Rory cut in. "So, who are these people then?" I raise my eyebrows at Amy's almost rude question.

"Oh! Sorry. This is my Aunt and Uncle." He gestures to us and we wave.

"I'm the Drifter but you can call me Drift for short. Most people do."

"You can call me the Professor."

Rory shakes his head. "Is that just a thing in your family then? You all have weird names with 'the' in front of it? The Doctor, the Drifter, and the Professor?"

We all look at each other and answer in tandem. "Sort of, yeah."

"We have real names too, but it's better not to let others know that. Names have power. If an enemy was to know our real names, they could use them against us. We don't speak them, even to our friends, in order to protect them," I explain.

"What about family," Amy asks. "Since you're related do you know each other's names?"

The Professor picks up this one. "Yes and no. A parent will know their child's name and vice versa. And a husband and wife will know true names as well, but extended family do not. So no. We don't know each other's names." He looks at me and winks. I did tell him my name once, when he was dying. Not Jane Ryder, but the name my parents gave me. It was so long ago now. I had the name Jane Ryder longer than any other.

We sit down and talk a little longer. I tell a few stories about when Junior was young and he hides his face in his hands while Amy eagerly listens to every word. Rory and the Professor find a commanderie. Rory listens attentively and gives his two cents when asked which the Professor appreciates.

Eventually, the Doctor insists that they had better enjoy the rest of their wedding. So they head to the dance floor as "You Give Me Something" begins to play. We watch them sway the music and I can't help but smile. The Doctor says quietly, "Two thousand years. The boy who waited. Good on you, mate."

"Quite right too," I agree. And the night goes on.

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

We exit not long after and make our ways to our TARDIS' which aren't that far apart. We exchange numbers and he agrees to call periodically, especially if he ever needs anything. He agrees. It's like pulling teeth but he does.

He's about to enter his TARDIS when Amy comes stomping over. "Oi! Where are you off to? We haven't even had a snog in the shrubbery yet."

"Amy!" Rory exclaims.

"Shut up. It's my wedding."

"Our wedding."

"Sorry, you two. Shouldn't have slipped away. Bit busy, you know? Family reunion, worlds to save."

"You just saved the whole of space and time? Take the evening off. Maybe a bit of tomorrow." Rory smiles at him.

"Space and time isn't safe yet. The Tardis exploded for a reason. Something drew the Tardis to this particular date, and blew it up. Why? And why now?" The Doctor looks at me and I shake my head. He knows I'm saying nothing.

The phone starts ringing. "The Silence, whatever it is, is still out there, and I have to... Excuse me a moment." He answers the telephone. "Hello? Oh, hello. I'm sorry, this is a very bad line. No, no, no, but that's not possible. She was sealed into the seventh Obelisk. I was at the prayer meeting. Well, no, I get that it's important. An Egyptian goddess loose on the Orient Express, in space. Give us a mo."

He looks at the rest of us. "Sorry, something's come up. This will have to be goodbye."

"Yeah, I think it's goodbye. Do you think it's goodbye?" Amy turns to her husband.

"Definitely goodbye," he agrees.

Amy goes to the door and shouts to Leadworth. "Goodbye! Goodbye."

"Don't worry bout a thing, your Majesty. We're on our way." He hangs up and turns to his family. Me and his new found uncle. "Want the coordinates? You could join in the fun."

Meta looks at me and I shrug. "Maybe next time Junior. We've been out of the loop for a while. We need to go catch up."

He smiles widely. "Okay. I'll call you later." With that, he goes into the TARDIS and flies away. The Professor and I head to our own.

We're in the vortex for barely a minute before the phone rings. I answer. "Hello."

"Hi auntie! I need your help."

"Already? Can't you deal with the orient express yourself?"

"I did. That was last week. No, I need your help with flying fish and grumpy old men who don't like Christmas."

I smile. "Ah. Say no more. On our way, just pop the coordinates over here and we'll be there in a sec."

"Thanks!" We hang up and my companion smiles at me.

"Where we off to?"

"Somewhere brilliant."


	12. Chapter 12

**For those of you who haven't read Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," Jacob Marley is the character that warns Scrooge about the coming ghosts. That is all.**

Landing our red telephone booth TARDIS doesn't give us too much trouble. When we stumble out my nephew isn't far away. "Hey! You made it!"

"Of course I did. Don't be ridiculous." I smile at him fondly.

"So what's the trouble this time," Meta asks with a grin of anticipation.

The Doctor claps his hands. "Well. Amy and Rory are about to crash if I can't clear this fog. But the man who controls the fog is being a grouch and ruining Christmas. And then I thought...Christmas carol." His hands flap about as he speaks and I sir press a giggle. "We do ghost of Christmas past and maybe he'll change his mind."

Meta, the Professor smiles. "And if that doesn't work, we do Christmas present and future. Brilliant!"

I smile. "I agree with this plan. So here's how I think the best way to do it is…"

"You've seen it haven't you?" They both look at me with raised eyebrows.

"Well...yes. But that's besides the point. Now listen…" So I tell them the plan.

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

The Professor and I stay out of sight as the plan is set in motion. Kazran watches as his father yells at him. "The fish are dangerous."

"I just want to see them," his younger self cries.

"Don't be stupid. You're far too young."

"Everyone at school's seen the fish."

"That's enough. You'll be singing to them next, like gypsies."

"The singing works. I've seen it. The fish like the singing."

"What does it matter what fish like?"

"People say we don't have to be afraid of the fish. They're not really interested in us."

"You don't listen to people. You listen to me." The man hits his son. We see the old man flinch as he watches.

"Ow! I'm sorry, Father."

"This is my house. While you're under my roof, you'll obey my instructions. I don't care what you…"

The Professor moves forward and puts his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, it's okay."

"What have you done? What is this?" The old man stands and backs away as I stay in the shadows. Not my part to play yet.

"Found it on an old drive. Sorry about the picture quality. Had to recover the data using quantum enfolding and a paperclip. Oh, I wouldn't bother calling your servants. They quit. Apparently they won the lottery at exactly the same time, which is a bit lucky when you think about it." Meta rambles off as the man flounders around.

"There isn't a lottery," he spits.

"Yeah, as I say, lucky."

His father's voice comes through on the projector. "There's a fog warning tonight. You keep these windows closed, understand? Closed."

"Who are you?" He asks with suspicion.

"Tonight, you could say I'm the spirit of Jacob Marley." Meta slips his hands into his pockets.

"Mrs Mantovani will be looking after you tonight. You stay here till she comes. Do you understand? Do you understand?" the father says on screen.

"Did you ever get to see a fish? When you were a kid?"

"What does that matter to you?"

"Look how it mattered to you."

"I cried all night, and I learned life's most invaluable lesson."

"Ah. Which is?"

"Nobody comes. Get out! Get out of my house!" The man shouts and I feel bad for him in a way. But it will be better soon.

"Okay. But before I go, I need to tell you. Tonight, you'll be visited by three ghosts. Past, present, and future. You'll see me again. I'll be back." He goes through the door and into the Tardis where the Doctor is waiting. They dematerialize and show up in the video of the past.

The Professor and the Doctor poke their heads in the window. "See? Back." Meta pats his nephew on the shoulder and disappears again. I know he'll be back here we planned it this way. Our TARDIS is in the past so he can come back while the Doctor does what needs to be done.

"Who are you?"

"Hi. I'm the Doctor. I'm your new babysitter."

"Where's Mrs Mantovani? And who was with you?"

"Oh, you'll never guess. Clever old Mrs Manters, she only went and won the lottery. And that was my uncle. He's busy."

"There isn't any lottery." The young is just as stubborn as the old it seems.

"I know. What a woman."

"If you're my babysitter, why are you climbing in the window?"

"Because if I was climbing out of the window, I'd be going in the wrong direction. Pay attention." Is suppress a laugh from my vantage point.

"But Mrs Mantovani's always my babysitter."

"Times change. Wouldn't you say? You see? Christmas Past." The Doctor waves at the camera.

"Who are you talking to?" the boy asks.

"You. Now, your past is going to change. That means your memories will too. Bit scary, but you'll get the hang of it."

"I don't understand," Kazran says in disbelief.

"I'll bet you don't. I wish I could see your face."

"But that never happened." He turns and falls into his chair as the memories begin to shift around. "But it did."

Things begin to progress the way they should. Hiding in the cubists as the old man Sardick now remembers new parts of his childhood. I stay out of the way, to keep an eye on him. Not my part yet.

The Doctor begins to get to the heart of the matter. Why are the fish important. "It's all anyone ever talks about now. The day the fish came. Everyone's got a story."

"But you don't." The Doctor is like a child in many respects but this he is good at. Empathy. His father could have been better at that at times. He must get it from Rose. "I see."

"Why are you recording this?" the twelve year old finally asked.

"Do you pay attention at school, Kazran?"

"Sorry, what?"

"Because you're not paying attention now." The string connected to the screwdriver is tugged on and the boy is distracted from his protest. "Shush."

Sardick begins to pace wildly. "Now I remember. No, Doctor, you mustn't!"

But his younger self doesn't know. "Doctor, are you sure?"

"Trust me," the Doctor says.

"Okay."

"Oi. Eyes on the tie. Look at me. I wear it and I don't care. Trust me?"

both the past present answer to the affirmative. "Yes"

"That's why it's cool." He fixes his tie and strides out of the closet.


	13. Chapter 13

**More kiss scenes between Drift and Meta were requested so I tried to deliver a little. :P You'll have to wait for more but I will give it to you because I love you guys. Special thanks to 10th Squad 3rd Seat and bored411 for both reviewing every single chapter thus far. You two are rock stars. :D**

I watch the screen as the Doctor enters the bedroom to see the fish investigating the screwdriver. "Hello, fishy. Let's see. Interesting. Crystalline fog, eh? Maybe carrying a tiny electrical charge. Is that how you fly, little fishy?"

"What is it?" the boy's voice calls. "What kind? Can I see?"

"Just stay there a moment."

"Is it big?"

"Nah, just a little one. So, little fellow, what do you eat?" Even knowing it's coming I still jump when the shark comes out of nowhere and eats it all in one bite.

"How little?" the clueless child asks.

"Er…."

"Can I come out?"

"No, no. Maybe just wait there for a moment."

"What colour is it?"

"Big. Big colour." The Doctor scrambles back into the closet.

"What's happening?"

"Well, concentrating on the plusses, you've definitely got a story of your own now. Also, I got a good look at the fish, and I think I understand how the fog works, which is going to help me land a spaceship in the future and save a lot of lives. And I bet I get some very interesting readings off my sonic screwdriver when I get it back from the shark in your bedroom."

"There's a shark in my bedroom?" young Kazran asks in alarm.

"Oh fine, focus on that part." It bangs against the door before going quiet.

"Has it gone? What's it doing?"

"What do you call it if you don't have any feet, and you're taking a run-up?"

A crash sounds and then the screen becomes nothing but static. "No! It's going to eat us." The old man collapses in his chair as he begins to remember simply by thinking back and sifting through memories that weren't there before.

I only have to wait a minute or two before Meta appears behind me. "How'd you get here so quietly?"

He smirks at me. "I took the breaks off." He leans in and kisses me deeply. "How's it going?"

"Um...ahem. Good. The video is out but the memories are still flowing in."

He smiles cheekily at making me breathless and I narrow my eyes and sleep his shoulder lightly. "Shut up."

Just then, Sardick begins chanting. "Seven two five eight."

The Doctor Junior sticks his head in through the door. "Just what I was after. Thank you."

Old Sardick goes to a drawer and takes out an old screwdriver. The phone rings and he answers. "Yes, what? Oh, Mister President, we've been through this. It's not going to crash on my house, so what's it got to do with me? Yes, I know. four thousand and three. As a very old friend of mine once took a very long time to explain, life isn't fair."

A hologram of Amy appears. Perfect timing. "Hello," she says.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he demands.

"You didn't think this was over, did you? I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present."

"A ghost? Dressed like that?"

Rory appears in her place. "Eyes off the skirt." Amy pushes him out of the way and is back.

"You turned into a Roman."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do that. I also do this."

"Do what? What are you talking about?" And that's when the voices begin to sing.

Sardick looks at the ghostly images of the singers. "All is calm, all is bright, round yon virgin mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild. Christ the Saviour is born. Christ the Saviour is born."

Amy talks to him gently. "They're holograms. Projections, like me."

"Who are they?"

"The people on the ship up there. The ones that you're going to let die tonight."

"Why are they singing?"

"For their lives. Which one's Abigail? The Doctor told me."

"Did he now?"

"AH, he doesn't hold back. You know the Doctor."

"How do I? I never met him before tonight. Now I seem to have known him all my life. How? Why? Who was the tall man in the suit? It's his fault!"

"You're the only person who can let that ship land. They were trying to turn you into a nicer person. And they were trying to do it nicely."

"They've changed my past, my whole life," Sardick spits.

"Time can be rewritten."

"You tell the Doctor. And that 'Jacob Marley.' Tell them from me, people can't." He walks through the holograms, and they disappear. He heads out the door.

Meta looks at me. "That's our cue I think." He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles.

I smile at him and his attentiveness. "Yes it is. Let's take the TARDIS down there so i can have easy access." So we get in our phone booth and we head down to the cryo chambers. Meta puts a phone to his ear to get a better listening point.

Sardick is looking at the girl frozen in time. Amy appears behind him. "That's Abigail?"

"I would never have known her if the Doctor hadn't changed the course of my whole life to suit himself."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"No," he says with bitterness lacing the word.

"Why is she still in there? You could let her out any time."

"Oh, yes. Any time at all. Any time I choose."

"Then why don't you?"

"This is what the Doctor did to me. Abigail was ill when she went into the ice. On the point of death. I suppose the rest in the ice helped her. But she's used up her time. All those Christmas Eves with me. I could release her any time I want, and she would live a single day. So tell me, Ghost of Christmas Present, how do I choose which day?"

"I'm sorry. I really am. I'm very, very sorry. But you know what? She's got more time left than I have. More than anyone on this ship."

"Good."

"Rory, widen the beam," she instructs. From the angle we are watching the images our fuzzy but we can tell that Sardick now sees himself on the ship that is crashing.

"Update on engine one…" the Captain says.

"How did I get here?" Kazran growls.

"You didn't," Amy explains. " It's your turn to be the hologram. Since you're going to let a lot of people die, I thought you might like to see where it's all gonna happen."

"The singing... What is it? I don't understand."

"The Doctor's idea. The harmonies resonate in the ice crystals. The fish like it. He thought maybe it would stabilise the ship. But it isn't working. It's not powerful enough," Rory says.

Kazran asks curiously, "Why are they still singing, then?"

The captain looks at him sadly. "Because we haven't told them. I understand you have a machine that controls this cloud layer. If you can release us from it, we still have time to make a landing. Nobody has to die."

"Everybody has to die." The bitter old man is still there.

"Not tonight," Amy says with conviction.

"Tonight's as good as any other. How do you choose?"

"Professor?"

"Yes?" Meta answers through the phone.

"Are you hearing this?" Amy answers.

"I can hear."

"He's here? Where is he? Jacob?!"

Rory turns off the hologram and Kazran Sardick is alone in the room of ice.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello! I just posted a one shot with Meta and Ryder. "Forgive Thanks." So if you're interested, go check it out. Happy Thanksgiving Americans!**

Kazran stands there looking lost. Meta steps forward. "You!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He responds with sadness.

"All my life, I've been called heartless. My other life, my real life, the one you and your ghost rewrote. Now look at me."

"Better a broken heart than no heart at all."

"Oh, try it. You try it. Why are you here?"

Meta straightens up. "Because I'm not finished with you yet. You've seen the past, the present...and now you need to see the future."

"Fine! Do it! Show me! I'll die cold, alone and afraid…" I step back into the our TARDIS and head to the past. I have a little boy to pick up.

I land his bedroom and step out where we can see me. He sits up in his bed and looks at me with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

I smile softly. "I'm Drift. I'm a friend of the Doctor's."

"My new baby sitter?"

I chuckle slightly. "Yes." I reach my hand out to me. "There's something I want to show you. It's important. Tell me," I lean in closer and lower my voice. "Do you want to save someone important."

His trusting child eyes crinkle at the edges where he smiles. "Yeah."

"Come on." He takes my hand and I lead him to the red phone booth.

"It's like the Doctors!" he exclaims.

"Yes it is. Now hold on to something. Things are about to get interesting." The trip isn't long and when it's over I lead him to the door.

His eyes widen as he watches the old man yell at the Professor. "Who is he?"

I place a hand on his shoulder. "You. He's what you become if you forget."

"Forget what?"

"What it's like to dream. To have courage and be kind."

He looks back and him and I make my way forward as the older version continues where I left off before. "Of course I will, we all do! What difference does showing me make? Do you know why I'm going to let those people die? It's not a plan. I don't get anything from it. It's just that I don't care. I'm not like you. I don't even want to be like you! I don't and never, ever will care!"

"And I don't believe that," I say with certainty.

"Who are you?"

I smirk. "I'm the ghost of Christmas future."

Meta nodds. "I did say three ghosts."

Kazran Sardick spits at me, "Then show me the future. Prove me wrong."

"I am showing it to you. I'm showing it to you right now. So what do you think?" I turn and reveal the young boy that he used to be. "Is this who you want to become, Kazran?"

They slowly walk toward each other. "Dad?"

The old Kazran drops his cane and lifts his hand to strike his younger self. But he stops himself. As he remembers his father I can tell. And then he starts to cry. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." His younger self backs away. "It's OK, don't be frightened." He puts his hands on the boy's shoulders and pulls him into a hug. "I'm...I'm so, so, so…"

Meta speaks up. "Kazran. We don't have much time."

We all rush up the stairs and my nephew joins us. "Doctor," the Kazrans say together.

"Hello boys." He turns to a screen and sends a message to the ship. "Hello, hello! Ah, hello, everyone. Prepare to lock onto my signal."

"Doctor, what's happening?" Amy shouts.

"I just saved Christmas. Don't go away." He switches it off.

Kazran attempts to use the control panel. "We good to go, then?" Meta asks.

"The controls won't respond."

"They're isomorphic, tuned to your brainwaves, they'll only respond to you," the Doctor says.

"They won't," he repeats.

"That doesn't make sense, why wouldn't.." He turns to me. "Oh! Oh, of course. Stupid, stupid Doctor!" I nod at him. I seriously hate keeping secrets. But Kazran needed to be changed.

"What's wrong? Tell me, what is it, what...?" Kazran begs.

Meta begins to understand. "It's you. We've changed you too much, the machine doesn't recognise you."

"But my father programmed it…"

I step in. "He would never have programmed it for the man you are now."

"Then what do we do?"

I look at Kazran. "Didn't you keep it?"

"Yes!" He pulls out the old screwdriver. "You can use this! I did keep it, see?"

"What, half a screwdriver? With the other half up in the sky in a big old shark, right in the heart of the cloud layer. We use your aerial to boost the signal, set up a resonation pattern between the two halves...That would work! My screwdriver, coolest bit of kit on this planet. Could do it," the Doctor rambles. Like father like son I suppose.

"Do what?"

"My screwdriver is still trying to repair. It's signalling itself. We use the signal, but we send something else."

"Send what?" The boy asks.

I place my hand on his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Kazran. I truly am."

"I don't understand."

I take a deep breath. "We need to send something into the cloud belt, something we know works. We need her to sing."


	15. Chapter 15

**I have no excuse. Really. So I'm not going to make you wait for any pathetic fiction reason when you'd rather read this fiction story. I'm sorry**. **I love you guys! Thank you for your patience**.

We all head back down to the chamber with all the frozen people. "Her voice resonates perfectly with the ice crystals. It calmed the shark. It will calm the sky, too."

Kazran looks into the window and at the face of Abigale. "Could you do it? Could you do this? Think about it, all of you. One last day with your beloved. Which day would you choose?"

Meta and I lock gazes. He reaches for my hand and brushes his thumb over my palm. I see reflected in his eyes my own feelings. We waited so long. A hundred years passed by for me without him there in any other way besides my mind's eye. His voice trembles as he speaks. "Today. I'd always pick today. Wasting time, letting it slip away isn't worth it. You seize every second you have."

I brush my hand through his hair and down his check. "Don't waste a moment," I confirm.

Kazran opens the door and abigale breathes again. "Christmas. Christmas Day. Look at you. So old now. I think you waited a bit too long, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry," he says to her.

"Hoarding my days, like an old miser."

"But...if you leave the ice now…"

She cuts him off. "We've had so many Christmas Eves, Kazran. I think it's time for Christmas Day."

We head outside and the Doctor hooks up his screwdriver to Kazan's machine. Amy's voice comes through. "Doctor?! Doctor! We hear ABIGAIL singing."

Abigail sings into the sonic screwdriver. Kazran looks anxious. "Well?"

The Doctor begins to explain with techno babble. "Well, the singing resonates in the crystals. It's feeding back and forth between the two halves of the screwdriver. One song, filling the sky. The crystals will align, I'll feed in a controlled phase loop, and the clouds will unlock."

The young Kazran cocks his head. "What does that mean? What happens when a cloud unlocks?"

"Something that hasn't happened in this town for a very long time now." As Abigail continues to sing, snow begins to fall.

Her magical voice carries the ship and we all breathe in relief as it lands safely. Kazran grasps Abigail's hand. The people of the city come out to marvel at the snow and the children play. Kazran looks at the fish. "Hello, my old friend."

I place my hand on the boy's shoulder. "Let's go."

We take the young Kazran back to where he belongs. It's time for him to take the long way this time. And I know that he's smart. Before we leave him I whisper a message into his ear.

We head back to the time we left Amy and Rory and run into them as we come out into the snow covered world. The Doctor is building a snowman. "You know, that could almost be mistaken for a real person. The snowman isn't bad, either."

He smiles at them widely. "Ah, yes, you two! About time! Why are you dressed like that?" He gestures at her police outfit and his roman costume.

Rory shifts uncomfortably. "Ah, kind of lost our luggage. Kind of crash landed."

"Yeah, but why are you dressed like that at all?"

I hit him in the shoulder. "If you haven't figured out at your age already you never will. Now shut up and forget about it."

Amy smiles at me with relief. "They really love their snowmen around here. I've counted about 20."

"Yeah, I've been busy."

"Yeah, yeah, you have." She hugs each of us in turn. "Thank you."

"You're welcome darling," I say.

The doctor smiles. "Pleasure. Right, come on, then, let's go!"

"Got any more honeymoon ideas?" Rory asks.

The Doctor gets a but excited. "There's a moon that's made of actual honey. Well, not actual honey. And it's not actually a moon. And technically, it's alive and a bit carnivorous, but there are some lovely views."

"Yeah, great, thanks. Bye you two," Rory waves at us and enters the TARDIS.

"Are you OK?" Amy asks him.

"Course I'm OK. You?"

"Of course. It'll be their last day together, won't it?" She looks toward Kazran and Abigail.

I answer her question. "Everything has to end some time, otherwise nothing would ever get started."

RoRy sticks his head out the TARDIS door. "Your phone was ringing. Someone called Marilyn. Actually sounds like THE Marilyn."

Meta looks intrigued. "Is it? What have you been up to Junior."

"Tell her I'll phone her back. And that was never a real chapel. And no one had called me Junior in a long time Uncle."

"Where are they? Kazran and Abigail," Amy asks this time.

"Off on a little trip, I should think," Meta says.

"Where?"

"Christmas," the three of us say together with a smile.

"Christmas?"

The Doctor smiles. "Yeah, Christmas."

The Professor looks off into the sky and I follow his gaze to see Kazran and Abigail off on one last adventure. "Halfway out of the dark."

We hug our nephew goodbye. "Until next time."

"Maybe next time could just be a social call?"

We look at each other. "Nah. More fun this way." And with that, he leaves.

Meta smiles at me. "What did you tell him? The young Kazran. You whispered something in his ear."

I smile. "Have courage and be kind. You can save her. You just have to know where to look."

He smiles at me. "You saved Abigail."

I nod. "Yeah. I think I did."

He leans in and gives me a sweet kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Foreheads pressed together he sighs. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything," I giggle slightly. But it was a badass giggle.

"Will you marry me?"

He wants to marry me? A grin slowly splits my face. "Yes," I whisper in Gallifreyan. He smiles and kisses me deeply. And it feels like life is finally letting me breathe.


	16. Chapter 16

**This is shorter chapter. I want to start getting to a plot thread. AtD has several plot lines right in a row but they all led to the ultimate end. This sequel will be similar. Please R &R **

Earth becomes a peaceful place for awhile. Meta and I find ourselves a nice little cottage just outside Leadworth to use as a sort of base of operations. It's away from anyone we might know and a good place to just be together. I was a little surprised when he suggested it. But after he explained that he was tired of running, just wanted to marry me and have a place to go back to despite everything else, and to just save the universe when it needed it rather than looking for trouble, then it made perfect sense to me. We've both been running too long and it would be nice to rest. Especially together.

Leadworth seemed like as good a place as anything to make a home base. It was away from the troublesome London and was near Amy and Rory when they were home. That also meant that getting a hold of the Doctor wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Meta and I decide we want to have a small affair. The Doctor and his companions will be our witnesses and that is really all that matters. Donna and Lee, Mickey and Martha, all of the children...even though they are in this time period it would cause a massive paradox. We can't have them come.

The arrangements will be simple enough. All I really need is a dress. I'm about to head out to our TARDIS to go through her wardrobe when I hear a voice behind me. "You aren't seriously thinking of just going with some random gown are you?"

I smile to myself before turning around and smirking at the owner of the voice. "Hello darling."

River smiles at me. "Hello sweetie. Now...where was I? Oh yes. You can't just get married in a random dress."

"All I care about is the groom River. I'm not really big on all the fluff these days. Not with this face."

"Mmm. But clothes make the girl into a woman. And you definitely have the fabulous body of a woman. Why not show it off?"

I laugh. "Oh River darling. You flatter me."

"Of course. So...let's go get you a real dress. I could use some girl time with Jane Ryder anyway."

I sigh. "Fine." Jane Ryder. It's funny. It's been a little while since I've gone by that consistently but now here on earth again, it is the identity that reconnects me to humanity.

River takes me on a trip outside of Leadworth to get more options. I try on dress after dress to find the right one, but River and I hardly agree on what I should wear. I'm not comfortable with showing as much skin as she thinks would be perfect.

But after hours of suffocating in white lace and taffeta, I finally walk out in something we both like. The strapless bodice leaves my shoulders exposed but is high enough to cover my cleavage. It's form fitting all the way down in the mermaid style until it fans on just past my knee and then gently brushing the floor as I walk. And it looks absolutely stunning on me.

"Oh sweetie. If I wasn't happily married you just might sway me."

"I just might sway myself. Dear Gallifrey is that really me?"

"Yes it is. Beautiful. I think we've found you a dress."

"Say yes to the dress," I smirk.

She shakes her head. "Stop referencing things I don't understand."

"Ok...but you're right. This is the one."

On the way back home River and I sit quiet for a long time. It's comfortable and I am deep in thought. There is something that I need to know. Something important that I don't know if I can change. So I turn to River and address it. "River…"

She looks at me expectantly before I continue. "About demons run…"

"Don't."

"What?"

"Don't change it. The way my time line intersects with all of yours...it would be catastrophic. Like trying to rip apart a braided cord or steal."

"Braids can be unraveled."

"Yes. But then they fray. It wouldn't take long to realize that there is no way to keep the peace between the past that hasn't happened yet and the future that has."

I sigh. "You've gotten wise."

"I had a good teacher."

"I hope you don't mean me or you might end up destroying the universe." We both laugh.

"Oh course I mean you. And you didn't destroy it, your crossed it and saved it a thousand times over."

"Twenty eight to be exact but who's counting?"

River spends a few more hours with me before she takes off. But I make sure to make her promise to there for the wedding in the week. My memory is not as good as it used to be, but I still remember Rivers story, and for this one, I don't think I can change a single thing about the end. But I have an advantage. I can think about what I know, and maybe I can give her something better. I hope so.


	17. Chapter 17

**The wedding of Jane Ryder**.

"Where is it!?"

I shake my head at the frantic redhead who is currently tearing the room apart. "Amy," I say patiently. "I don't need whatever it is that you're looking for. I look great and I'm getting married in thirty minutes."

She ignores me as she continues tossing the place. "I know I put it here somewhere."

I sigh heavily. "Amy.."

"Ah! Here it is!" She rushes over and starts to put a necklace around my throat. "There. Take a look."

I look at the tiny bow that Rose gave me so many years ago. Next to it on the thin chain lies a blue tear drop pendant that stands brightly on my skin. It matches my blue eyes almost perfectly. "Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue."

My fingertips brush across it and I feel a small smile touch my lips as my eyes slightly glisten with unshed memories.

DWDWDWDWDW DWDWDWDWDW

Rose gets home not long after me and let's out a huff as she flops on the couch.

"Do I smell curry?" I laugh.

"Of course."

"Mmm. I know we had it like three days ago but I was totally craving it today. You read my mind."

"No. I just really wanted it again. It's just lucky that you agree with me."

I hand her the bowl of deliciousness and sit down with mine.

"Well, great minds think alike." I nod in agreement since my mouth is already full.

We eat in silence. The curry is far too good to be talked over. But as we finish up and start to head back to couch to turn on the tellie I grab the bag and toss it to Rose.

"Oi. What's this?"

"I saw it at the store today and thought you'd like it."

She takes out the blue leather jacket and unfolds it. She turns it back and forth before slipping it on. She steps over to the hall mirror and looks it over. Turing this way and that before getting a big grin on her face.

"It's perfect. I love it."

"I knew you would."

I settle in for old reruns of a show that hadn't existed back home. And then she places a box in my lap. I raise an eyebrow at her and she indicates that she wants me to open it. So I do. Inside, there is a set of earrings shaped like bows with a matching necklace. Three little red bows all neat in the box.

"You're always wearing that shirt that says bow ties are cool on it. I thought I'd better get you some actual cool bows before you decided you should actually start wearing a tie."

DWDWDWDWDW DWDWDWDWDW

"Thank you Amy. It's perfect." I turn and look at her. "Where did you find this. I haven't seen it in many many years."

"River gave it to me. Said it used to be yours and that you'd want it back. I added the blue pendant but I'll take that back since it's needs to be the borrowed item too."

I laugh slightly. "Deal."

We finish up everything and then we head out. It's a small affair held just in the small church in Leadworth. The reverend is old and sits sleeping in the corner. That's fine. He's only here to sign the paper to make it legal on Earth. It's a blur when I walk in. River is there with a smug grin. Amy immediately grasps Rory's arm and stands watching. The Doctor, my nephew straightens his bow tie to prepare his duty of conducting the ceremony. But all of this is just background.

All I can see is Meta looking at me. With wide eyes and a broad smile. He reaches his hand out and I take it eagerly. He is my light. My everything. And today I'll call him my husband.

"Do you Professor James Noble, the Professor, take Jane as your wife, to love and respect, through every regeneration until final death do you part?"

"I do."

"And do you Jane Ryder, the Drifter in the Dark, take James as your husband, to love and respect, through every regeneration until final death do you part?"

"I do." I feel the promise of those two small words echo through me. I taste them on my lips as the sweetest promise I've ever made. The only promise I know I will never be able to break. The memory of the Doctor and Rose flash through my mind. There was a day so long ago that they both exchanged these vows, long before the heartache of losing Meta. Long before Junior was born. Long before the war in my personal time line. Before the loss of my humanity.

"You may kiss the bride." I hear nothing after that. I just feel.

DWDWDWDWDW DWDWDWDWDW

Rose looks stunning. Her updo is elaborate, with braids and little curls escaping to frame her face. The strapless gown fits her curves nicely and flows out from her hips to the ice covered ground. Lacy red stitching dances up from her left hip to the side of her breast. Her gold and ruby earrings enhance the flush of her face and neck. But her smile...her smile is what makes her so beautiful. It lights up her her whole face and makes her glow with happiness her joy is infectious as it radiates from her.

I turn to see the Doctor's expression. His jaw is slack and his lips are slightly parted. He's entranced by her as she makes her way to him. Try have no eyes for anyone but each other. When her hand slips into his, a smile blooms on his face. And I notice something. The ever present darkness in his eyes is gone. There is no regret, or pain, or sadness residing in their depths. He is smiling without restraint and it makes me happier than I have felt in a long time. Maybe ever.

Mickey stands next to me and Meta begins to speak. The lyrical words of the language reminding me of how the elves would speak in Lord of the Rings. In fact, I recognise some of the words as just that. I never bothered to learn it but now I wish that I had. Perhaps then I would know all of the words being spoken now.

He switches to English as he speaks the human portion of the ceremony.

"Rings?"

Rose and the Doctor each produce a gold band with Gallifreyan etched on them. Meta continues. He has them each place their rings on the others finger as they repeat the words. "With this ring, I thee wed."

The next part is slightly modified from the human version. "Do you Rose, accept The Lord Doctor as your husband, through every regeneration, until final death do you part?"

"I do." Her smile has never left her face as she looks at her almost-husband.

"And do you Doctor, take Rose Tyler as your wife, through every regeneration, until final death do you part?"

He swilled as emotions nearly consume him. "I do."

Meta pulls out a long gold rub ion and motions for them to hold hands as he wraps the cloth around them, binding them together.

"Do the guardians of the bride give consent?"

Mickey speaks his part. "I consent and gladly give."

And then I speak mine. "I consent and gladly give."

"Do the guardians of the groom give their blessing?"

Jack has cheeky grin at being called the Doctor's guardian. "My blessing is freely given."

Donna looks smug as she takes her turn. "My blessing is freely given."

"If none have any reason why these two should be joined then I will continue."

The pause is short since we all know that there isn't one of us that isn't happy about this. So Meta continues with barely a breath in between. "By the power resting on me from the High Council of Gallifrey, and the Shadow Proclamation, I now pronounce you husband and wife, partners in life, from now till the end of time."

He smiles broadly as he says the last part, which is a human custom and not Gallifreyan. "You may kiss the bride."

DWDWDWDWDW DWDWDWDWDW

It was a perfect day. As well it should have been. I've learned to take the good with the bad. Unfortunately...I haven't learned not to wait for the bad. And I'm waiting. Holding my breath. Something is coming. I can feel it. It's over the horizon. Because there's a reason that one called twelve was sorry.


	18. Chapter 18

**Alright. Let's learn to manage time better. Seriously. Time to stop making you all wait so long between chapters. I just went and read all of the reviews on AtD to inspire myself. They were helpful. We can do this together! :D thank you all for everything.**

Married life is good. Nothing has really changed if I really think about it. The only thing that is different now is that I have the title of wife. Other than that, our dynamic and the way we live is the same.

A few months after our initial wedding, the Doctor comes to pay us and the Ponds a visit. Of course, I tend to actually call them the Williams.' Call me old fashioned but it just seems more romantic to me for some reason when the woman takes the man's name. Probably psychologically embedded in me after my parents always fought over it. They ended up hyphenating but neither was truly happy with that solution.

"Let's go for a trip. I know a lovely little asteroid that has the most delicious pie you've ever tasted," the Junior Doctor bounces in.

"Ooh. L'utaria Ma'l'may," Meta says with a series of clicks and strangeness. He enjoys how alien languages taste apparently. "Love that place."

And that's how Amy, Rory, the Professor, the Doctor and I all ended up getting lunch at an asteroid three billion years in the future. After we were done with that, we headed back to the TARDIS where we got to sharing adventures that had happened.

The Doctor was just finishing up one of his tales. "And then we discovered it wasn't the Robot King after all, it was the real one. Fortunately, I was able to re-attach the head."

Rory shakes his head and turns to Amy. "Do you believe any of this stuff?"

"I was there."

Lights begin flashing getting the Professor's attention. "Oh, it's the warning lights."

The Doctor looks over his shoulder. "I'm getting rid of those. They never stop."

I look toward Amy and Rory during this exchange and furrow my brow at their concerned expressions. Amy narrows her eyes at me. She seems worried and...irritated. I don't have time to analyze this because just then, there is a knock on the front door.

We all freeze. "What was that?"

"The door. It knocked."

Rory shifts uncomfortably. "Right. We are in deep space."

"Very, very deep," Meta replies.

It knocks again and the Doctor stiffens. "And somebody's knocking."

I roll my eyes. "Obviously."

I stride to the door. Something's familiar about this. I open the door to see a small glowing box.

The Doctor gets a wide smile on his face. "Oh, come here. Come here, you scrumptious little beauty." It jolts toward him and knocks him to the ground.

Rory raises an eyebrow. "A box?"

"Doctor, what is it?"

The Professor kneels next to him and they examine it together. "We've got mail. Timelord emergency messaging system. In an emergency, we'd wrap up thoughts in psychic containers and send them through time and space."

"Anyway, there's a living Time Lord still out there, and it's one of the good ones."

Rory shakes his head. "You said there weren't any other Time Lords left besides the three of you."

I nod. "There are no Time Lords left anywhere in the universe."

The Doctor bounces up and down. "But the universe isn't where we're going. See that snake?" He points to the mark in the box.

"The mark of the Corsair. Fantastic bloke. He had that snake as a tattoo in every regeneration. Didn't feel like himself unless he had the tattoo. Or herself, a couple of times. Ooo, she was a bad girl." I smack Meta for that last comment.

Suddenly, a jolt sends us all stumbling. "Oh, what is happening?"

"We're leaving the universe."

"How can you leave the universe?" Amy asks quizzingly.

"With enormous difficulty. Right now I'm burning up Tardis rooms to give us some welly. Goodbye, swimming pool. Goodbye, scullery. Sayonara, squash court seven."

I grasp the console and shout. "Do you even need any Squash courts at all?! Who needs a squash court let alone seven?"

Before he can answer me, the TARDIS stops and all goes silent. Any breathes heavily. "Okay, okay. Where are we?"

"Outside the universe, where we've never, ever been." Then the lights go out.

"Is that meant to be happening?" Companions and their constant questions.

I lean against a rail and act nonchalant. I remember this now. Vaguely. "The power, it's draining. Everything's draining."

My nephew refuses to accept that. "But it can't. That's, that's impossible."

"Like father, like son," I mutter under my breath.

"What is that?

"It's as if the Matrix, the soul of the Tardis, has just vanished. Where would it go?"

Meta looks toward me in question and I wink. "Let's find out. "

As we head out to investigate, Amy asks the Professor, "So what kind of trouble's your friend in?"

"He was in a bit of a pickle. Sort of distressed. Funny phrase. Why a pickle?"

"Ah, you can't just say you don't know."

I raise my hand and smile. "I know!"

The Doctor huffs in exasperation. "Of course you know! Please don't spoil it for the rest of us. I do like figuring it out on my own sometimes."

As the Doctor tries explaining where we are to Amy and Rory, Meta pulls me aside. "So which is this then?

"The Doctor's Wife."

He furrows his brow. "I'm confused. Wouldn't that technically be River?"

I laugh slightly. "No. That's the name of the episode. The Doctor's wife. I think I told this one to you...no wait. I didn't. I would have but then we got put into this part of the time line and I still have to protect it."

"Ah." He smiles at me. "I love you."

I smirk at him. "Shut up doofus. I love you too." It's at that moment that Amy says something that breaks our mood.

"Armpits."

"Armpits."

"What are we saying about armpits?"

"That's what this place smells like."

"Ohhhh."

"What about all this stuff? Where did this come from?" Rory asks.

"Well, there's a rift. Now and then stuff gets sucked through it. Not a bubble, a plughole. The universe has a plughole and we've just fallen down it."

Then a woman's voice calls out and we all spin toward it. "Thief! Thief! You're my thief!"

An older woman follows after her. "She's dangerous. Guard yourselves."

The young woman goes to the Doctor. "Look at you. Goodbye. No, not goodbye, what's the other one?" She firmly kisses him and I laugh as I entwine my fingers with my husband. I don't know how we'll fit into this.

An older man warns us as well. "Watch out. Careful. Keep back from her. Welcome, strangers. Lovely. Sorry about the mad person."

The Doctor pushes her off and gets bewildered. "Why am I a thief? What have I stolen?"

"Me. You're going to steal me. No, you have stolen me. You are stealing me. Oh tenses are difficult, aren't they?"

The older woman interrupts. "Oh. Oh, we are sorry, my dove. She's off her head. They call me Auntie."

"And I'm Uncle. I'm everybody's Uncle. Just keep back from this one. She bites!"

"Do I? Excellent." She bites the Doctor's ear and he exclaims in pain. "Biting's excellent. It's like kissing, only there's a winner."

"So sorry. She's doolally."

"No, I'm not doolally. I'm, I'm. It's on the tip of my tongue. I've just had a new idea about kissing. Come here, you." She reaches for the Doctor but I take pity and pull her off.

She looks at me and smiles. "Oh! It's you! My Confidant. You saved my Wolf, and my Thief. And my Beau. You saved me. Will save me? Ugh. Tenses again." I let go of her and cock my head. Wolf would be Rose. I think she doesn't really differentiate between the original Doctor or his son. I'm her confidant apparently. Not that I understand that. Though I have no idea who her beau is. What does that even mean?

Before I can ask she looks at the Doctor and the Professor. "Oh, but now you're angry. No, you're not. You will be angry. The little boxes will make you both very angry."

My husband perks up. "Sorry? The little what? Boxes?"

She gets distracted by the Doctor. "Oh, ho, no. Your chin is hilarious. It means the smell of dust after rain."

Rory is startled when she turns to him. "What does?"

"Petrichor".

"But I didn't ask."

"Not yet. But you will."

Auntie grasps her shoulders and starts to lead her off. "No, no, Idris. I think you should have a rest."

"Rest. Yes, yes. Good idea. I'll just see if there's an off switch." With that, she collapses.

"Is that it? She dead now. So sad," Uncle states.

Rory checks. "No, she's still breathing."

"Nephew, take Idris somewhere she can not bite people." The Ood, Nephew, picks her up.

"Oh, hello! It's an Ood. Drift, it's an Ood. I haven't seen one in ages. Oods are good. Love an Ood. Hello, Ood. Can't you talk? Oh, I see. It's damaged. May I? It might just be on the wrong frequency." I smile as Meta takes the sphere and starts to fix it.

"Nephew was broken when he came here. Why, he was half dead. House repaired him. House repaired all of us."

The voice of the missing time lord begins to come through. "If you are receiving this message, please help me. Send a signal to the High Council of the Time Lords on Gallifrey. Tell them that I am still alive. I don't know where I am. I'm on some rock-like planet."

"What was that? Was that him?" Rory asks.

"No, no. It's picking up something else. But that's, that's not possible. That's, that's. Who else is here? Tell me. Show me. Show me."

"Just what you see. Just the four of us, and the House. Nephew, will you take Idris somewhere safe where she can't hurt nobody?"

The Doctor gets in her face. "The House? What's the House?"

"House is all around you, my sweets. You are standing on him. This is the House. This world. Would you like to meet him?"

"I'd love to."

"We'd love to," I correct.

"This way. Come, please. Come." Uncle leads the way.

"What's wrong? What were those voices?" Amy asks.

"Time Lords. It's not just the Corsair. Somewhere close by there are lots and lots of Time Lords."

I sigh silently to myself. If only that were true.


	19. Chapter 19

Meta keeps a firm grasp on my hand as we follow the others. When we stop, we all look through the grating in the ground.

My nephew comes to a conclusion. "I see. This asteroid is sentient."

"We walk on his back, breathe his air, eat his food." I wrinkle my nose. These people were creepy in my memory but this was even more disturbing being in their environment.

Amy turns her nose up. "Smell its armpits."

Then the House speaks through them. "And do my will. You are most welcome, travellers."

"Doctor, that voice. That's the asteroid talking?"

"Yes. So you're like a sea urchin. Hard outer surface, that's the planet we're walking on. Big, squashy, oogly thing inside, that's you." I roll my eyes. He's quite the excitable puppy. Not unlike his parents I suppose.

"That is correct, Time Lord," the House replies.

Meta puffs with a slight glimmer of pride. "Ah. So you've met Time Lords before?"

"Many travellers have come through the rift, like Auntie and Uncle and Nephew. I repair them when they break."

"So there are Time Lords here, then?"

"Not any more, but there have been many Tardises on my back in days gone by."

"Well, there won't be any more after us," the Doctor begins to say.

Wait! I shout I'm my mind. Meta and Junior both freeze at my warning and my mind begins to race. It's been an extremely long time since I've been in my own world with my own time rate but I still have a slight residual skill from that time. Though I use it rarely. My thoughts move faster than the time around me and gives me a second to think this through.

If we don't tell house that we are the last, he won't steal the TARDIS to get away. Would that be better? Should I leave it alone or change this one? It's a question I used to ask often, and the time to answer is running out. There's really no point in changing this one though. Not really. The only thing I would want to change possibly would be keeping Idris, but she must return to the matrix. I can't change that.

I slow my thoughts again and time pushes on. The House wants an explanation. "What do you mean?"

I answer. "We are the last. Last Time Lords. Last Tardis."

"A pity. Your people were so kind. Be here in safety, children of Gallifrey. Rest, feed, if you will."

Rory shifts uncomfortably. "We're not actually going to stay here, are we?"

"Well, it seems like a friendly planet. Literally. Mind if we poke around a bit?"

"You can look all you want. Go. Look. House loves you." The way Auntie looks at us makes me shiver. I don't like this place. At all.

"Come on then, gang. Let's see the sights."

We aren't walking long when we hear a voice, "Thief!"

Rory takes a steadying breath, "So, as soon as the Tardis is refuelled, we go, yeah?"

"No. There are Time Lords here. We heard them and they need us," the Professor states dogmatically.

Amy addresses the Doctor, "You told me about your people, and you told me what happened. How your family was connected." She glances at me and my husband.

The Doctor's shoulders shag slightly. Meta sets his jaw and speaks earnestly. "Yes, our family has a dark history connected to our people, but if they're like the Corsair, they're good one and I can save them."

"And then tell them you destroyed the others?"

"I can explain. Tell them why I had to," he looks at me. "Why we both had to."

"You want to be forgiven."

I shake my head. "It's not about forgiveness anymore. Im at peace with my choices. And we have all earned our forgiveness a hundred times over. No. This is about justice. Rebirth. Hope." I don't know how else to articulate it.

"What do you need from me?"

The Doctor looks at me and I send my mental answer. Follow your impulse. We all make it out of this one. He nods. "My screwdriver. I left it in the Tardis. It's in my jacket."

"You're wearing your jacket," Rory points out.

"My other jacket."

"You have two of those?"

"Okay, I'll get it. But Doctor, listen to me. Don't get emotional because that's when you make mistakes." She throws him her mobile.

"Yes, boss."

"I'll call you from the Tardis."

I turn to her husband. "Rory, look after her. We'll be ok."

"Yeah." And then he follows after her.

It's not long when the phone rings and the Doctor answers it. "Yeah, it's around somewhere. Have a good look." He lifts the sonic and presses a button. He wiggles his eyebrows at the Professor and I. Hopefully he doesn't get too pissed at me after he realizes I just let him trap his friends in an empty TARDIS without her soul inside it.

"Come on. Where are you? Now, where are you all? Where are you?" The Professor searches. He pulls back a curtain, opens the cupboard and I watch the faces of my husband and my nephew fall.

There are so many voices coming from so many boxes.

"Please do you read me."

"Structural integrity failure. Damage to dimensional stabiliser."

"If you can hear, come and help."

I jerk my head in surprise. "No. No that's not right. It can't be. That's Tonsil's voice!" But that's impossible. Tonsil didn't die here in this forsaken place. He died in the time war. He died on Gallifrey because I couldn't get to him in time. I watched my comrade fall. I know he didn't regenerate. So how can his voice be here in this box?

The aunt and uncle startle is and the Doctor isn't pleased. Neither is the Professor. "Just admiring your Time Lord distress signal collection. Nice job. Brilliant job. Really thought I had some friends here, but this is what the Ood translator picked up. Cries for help from the long dead. How many Time Lords have you lured here the way you lured us, and what happened to them all?"

"House, House is kind and he is wise."

The Doctor looks sick. "House repairs you when you break. Yes, I know. But how does he mend you? You've got the eyes of a twenty year old."

"Thank you," uncle says.

"No. Oh, no, I mean it literally. Your eyes are thirty years younger than the rest of you. Your ears don't match, your right arm is two inches longer than your left, and how's your dancing? Because you've got two left feet. Patchwork people. You've been repaired and patched up so often, I doubt there's anything left of what used to be you. I had an umbrella like you once."

"You gave us hope, and then you took it away. That's enough to make anyone dangerous. God knows what it will do to the three of us. Basically, run!"

"Poor old Time Lord. Too late. House is too clever."

They leave and i swallow the lump in my throat. I'll figure out Tonsil later. "I'm sorry. But you know how I have to let things happen sometimes?"

The phone rings and the Doctor answers. Amy is giving him an earful. "Time Lord stuff. Needed you out of the way."

The Professor looks at me. "We understand Drift. You don't have to apologize. Sometimes you know things and that's...wait. She knew too. The boxes will make you angry. How could she know?"

The Doctor shares a look with us and I smile. "Stay put. Stay exactly where you are," he barks into the phone.

We make our way to the cage with Idris. "How did you know about the boxes? You said they'd make me angry. How did you know?"

"Ah, it's my thief. And my Confidant! And my...I'm not sure what to call you actually. You're my thief and you're not."

"Who are you?" The Doctor asks.

"It's about time," she says.

"I don't understand. Who are you?" He asks again.

"Do you not know me? Just because they put me in here?" She looks at me. "You know me don't you."

"The Tardis," I smile.

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Yes, that's it. Names are funny. It's me. I'm the Tardis."

"No, you're not. You're a bitey, mad lady. The Tardis is up and downy stuff in a big blue box."

I roll my eyes at the Doctor but Idris gets more excited. "Yes, that's me. A Type Forty Tardis. I was already a museum piece when your father were young, and the first time he touched my console he said…"

"That you were the most beautiful thing I had ever known," the Professor finishes. So he believes now.

She looks at her other thief now. "And when you were born you stole me just like your father did."

"Borrowed."

"Borrowing implies the intention to return the thing that was taken. What makes you think I would ever give either of you back?"

"She's the TARDIS. Just open the door already."

Once she is free, she asks "Are all people like this?"

"Like what?"

"So much bigger on the inside. I'm, oh, what is that word? It's so big, so complicated. It's so sad."

"But why? Why pull the living soul from a Tardis and pop it in a tiny human head? What does it want you for?" The two boys look at me.

"House eats Tardises," I explain.

"What?"

"What are fish fingers?" She asks randomly.

She holds up three fingers and counts down to a fist. I smirk when the two time lords catch up. "Of course!"

"House feeds on rift energy and Tardises are bursting with it."

"And not raw, all lovely and cooked. Processed food. Mmm, fish fingers."

"Do fish have fingers?" The TARDIS asks.

"I was thinking the same thing," I reply.

"But you can't eat a Tardis. it would destroy you. Unless, unless…"

"Unless you deleted the Tardis Matrix first."

"So it deleted you."

"They're cute when they finish each other's sentences," I smirk.

My meta winks at me as our nephew continues to rant. "But House can't just delete a Tardis' consciousness. That would blow a hole in the universe. So he pulls out the Matrix, sticks it in a living receptacle and then it feeds off the remaining Artron energy. Oh. You were about to say all that. I don't suppose you have to now."

"We sent Amy and Rory in there. They'll be eaten. Amy! Amy? Rory? Get the hell out of there."

I laugh and we begin to run. "Finally. You're getting slower I think."


	20. Chapter 20

The Doctor quickly dials the phone. "It's House. He's after the Tardis. Just get out both of you."

"But I've unlocked it," he says a beat later.

We make it to the junkyard. "The Doctor tries the screwdriver again, and snaps his fingers. "Open! Open this door! Amy. Rory!"

The police box fades away in from of us. The doctor tries the phone again but she doesn't answer. "Okay, right. I don't, I really don't know what to do. That's a new feeling. Haven't felt like this since mum and dad…"

I put a hand on his shoulder. "It's ok. This one's easy."

"It's gone," he says.

"Eaten?" Idris asks.

"No, it left. Not eaten, hi-jacked. But why?" The professor asks.

Auntie walks passed us. "It's time for us both to go, and keep together."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Go? What do you mean, go? Where are you going?"

"Well, we're dying, my love. It's time for Auntie and Uncle to pop off."

"I'm against it," uncle says.

"It's your fault, isn't it, sweets? Because you told House it was the last Tardis. House can't feed on them if there's none more coming, can he?"

"So now he's off to your universe to find more Tardises."

"It won't. Not enough to sustain him for long anyway," I say.

"Oh, it'll think of something." And with that, auntie collapses.

"Actually, I feel fine," uncle says before promptly dropping.

"So much for feeling fine," I say.

"Not dead. You can't just die!"

"We need to go to where I landed, my friends, quickly."

"Why?"

"Because we are there in three minutes. We need to go now. Ow. Roughly how long do these bodies last?"

"You're dying," the Doctor says softly.

"Yes, of course I'm dying. I don't belong in a flesh body. I could blow the casing in no time. No, stop it. Don't get emotional. Hmm. That's what the orangey girl says. You're the Doctor. Focus."

"On what? How? I'm a madman with a box, without a box."

I raise my hand. "Need I remind you that we are in a junkyard. A TARDIS junkyard."

"Oh! You're right."

The professor drags me in and kisses my forehead. "You're brilliant."

"Right then. Let's go Professor. You too Doctor. And you sexy," I say with a wink.

Idris gets all excited. "Oh yes. That's me! That's what you all call me."

We make it to the yard in record time only to see a valley of half eaten Tardises. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The doctor asks.

Sexy sighs. "I'm thinking that all of my sisters are dead. That they were devoured, and that we are looking at their corpses."

"Ah. Sorry. No, I wasn't thinking that."

"No. You were thinking you could build a working Tardis console out of broken remnants of a hundred different models. And you don't care that it's impossible."

"It's not impossible as long as we're alive. Rory and Amy need us. So yeah, we're going to build a Tardis."

We all get to work right away. But after a moment I start to get dizzy. And while sexy and the Doctor start arguing a bit about reliability and bringing home strays (to which the Doctor reminds her that his mother was a stray that his father his name sake brought home) my husband takes my hand and steadies me.

"Are you alright, love?"

"Yeah," I say as I lean my head on his shoulder. "Just a bit dizzy is all. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He brushes a stray hair out of my eyes.

"Of course. I've got you haven't I? I've never been better."

He smiles at me and brushes his lips softly against mine in a savoring kiss which I return gratefully. That little bit of contact where our breath mingles together brings me back to a steady world and I'm not dizzy anymore. Even if his kiss still makes my head spin but in a good way.

Sexy falls and the doctor catches her which makes us break apart to see what's wrong. "You okay?"

"One of the kidneys has already failed. It doesn't matter. We need to finish assembling the console."

"Using a console without a proper shell. It's not going to be safe."

"This body has about eighteen minutes left to live. The universe we're in will reach Absolute Zero in three hours. Safe is relative."

I laugh lightly. "Oh everything is relative. That is an excellent point."

"Then we need to get a move on. Eh, old girl?"

And with that we keep working. Though not without my Meta making sure I'm doing okay every five seconds.


	21. Chapter 21

**Guess who's back. *smirks***

"My love, I think you should sit down." Meta gentle pulls me to the side as our nephew, the Doctor, works with Idris, his TARDIS.

"I'm fine Meta truly. I just feel a bit tired. That's all." I try to stand up again but he sets me down.

"If you're tired you should rest. They both are doing just fine without us. When everything is calmed down again you're going to take a nice rest and then I'm going to check you over to find out what's wrong."

"I'm sure it's nothing," I say as I brush a stray hair back from his face.

"It may be nothing but you are my everything. So let me fuss." He kisses my hand and smiles softly at me.

"Right. Okay, let's go. Follow that Tardis," the Doctor announces as we step into the makeshift TARDIS, but we are met with silence. "Oh no, come on. There's rift energy everywhere. You can do it. Okay, diverting all power to thrust. Let's be having you." The loud creak and the sparks make us all jump.

"What's wrong?" Sexy asks as the Doctor and my Professor start to panic slightly.

"It can't hold the charge. It can't even start. There's no power. I've got nothing," the Doctor complains.

"Oh, my beautiful idiot. You have what you've always had. You've got me." Sexy kisses her finger, and transfers golden energy to the console, causing us to dematerialize.

I hold Sexys hand as our boys fly the rickety contraption shouting at each other about getting a lock on them and then trying to figure out how to phase into a TARDIS with the shields up.

"Sexy can get a message to them so they can lower the shields for us," I say turning to her. "Contact the pretty one."

The Doctor is in his element and exclaims, "Yes! Contact Amy."

Sexy closes her eyes and reaches her mind out, connecting with Rory and allowing the message to be heard on the interface of our temporary transport. "Hello, Pretty."

"What the hell is that?" Rory gasps.

The Doctor barges in. "Don't worry. Telepathic messaging. No, that's Rory."

"You have to go to the old control room. I'm putting the route in your head. When you get there use the purple slider on the nearest panel to lower the shields," Sexy instructs him.

Meta looks at me with an odd expression. "The pretty one?"

I smile. "Don't be jealous."

"I'm not jealous. Just...territorial," he defends himself.

Once Sexy finishes relaying her directions to Rory the Doctor asks, "How's he going to be able to take down the shields anyway? The House is in the control room."

"I directed him to one of the old control rooms," she answers.

After a slight debate about how one can archive rooms that haven't even happened yet, Sexy informs us that the shields are down.

A moment later and we are stumbling into the control room that I spent many years traveling in.

Sexy falls, clutching her stomach and I catch her. "Not good," she says. "Not good at all. How do you walk around in these things?"

The Doctor looks on concerned and then turns to Amy. "We're not quite there yet. Just hold on. Amy, this is, well, she's my Tardis. Except she's a woman. She's a woman, and she's my Tardis."

"She's the Tardis?" Amy repeats.

"And she's a woman. She's a woman and she's the Tardis."

"Did you wish really hard?" Amy asks with a smirk.

I snicker as the Doctor retorts. "Shut up. Not like that."

Idris chooses that moment to introduce herself. "Hello. I'm Sexy."

"Oh. Still shut up," the Doctor exclaims. Meta and I snicker.

The voice of the House echoed in the room. "The environment has been breached. Nephew, kill them all."

Rory looks around. "Where's Nephew?"

"He was standing right where you materialised," Amy informs us.

"Ah. Well, he must have been redistributed," Meta says sadly.

"Meaning what?" Rory asks.

I let my respiratory bypass system kick in. "You're breathing him," I say.

"Oh, come on," Amy exclaims as she pulls her shirt over her nose and mouth.

"Another Ood I failed to save," Meta sighs. I reach for his hand and he grasps it and looks at me. I mouth the words 'it's okay,' and he nods.

House's voice rings out again. "Doctor. I did not expect you."

"Well, that's me all over, isn't it? Lovely old unexpected me," he says with mirth.

"The big question is, now you're here, how to dispose of you? I could play with gravity," House says as we all hit the deck from the force of the change.

"Or I could evacuate the air from this room and watch you choke," he says.

Meta interrupts him. "You really don't want to do that."

"Why shouldn't I just kill you now?" the voice that was far softer than it had any right to be said.

Meta smirked. "Because then we won't be able to help you. Listen to your engines. Just listen to them. You don't have the thrust and you know it. Right now we're your only hope for getting out of your little bubble through the rift, and into our universe. And ours is the one with the food in."

"Water, water," Idris gasps in my arms and I stroke her hair to calm her.

"You just have to promise not to kill us. That's all, just promise," the Doctor chimes in.

Amy looks incredulous. "You can't be serious."

"I'm very serious. I'm sure it's an entity of its word," the Doctor stated.

Rory kneels with me and feels Idris's forehead. "Doctor, she's burning up. She's asking for water."

"Hey. Hang in there, old girl. Not long now. It'll be over soon," the Doctor soothed.

"I always liked it when you call me old girl," Idris smiled. She looked at me a little desperately. "My confidant. It's so small in here. I can't remember everything. You remember don't you? You know the water."

I nod at her. "I know the water."

She nods back at me. "That's good. The water is important. So is red. Red is important. Such a vibrant color."

Before I can question the color red, we are sucked out of the room and deposited back into the control room.

I hear my husband's voice ring out. "Yes. I mean, you could do that, but it just won't work. Hardwired fail safe. Living things from rooms that are deleted are automatically deposited in the main control room. But thanks for the lift."

The House answers. "We are in your universe now, Professor. Why should it matter to me in which room you die? I can kill you just as easily here as anywhere. Fear me. I've killed hundreds of Time Lords."

I feel Meta's memory of being the one to end it, the Doctor when he believed himself to be alone. "Fear me. I've killed all of them."

Idris grasps Rory's arm. "The only water in the forest is the river. In the forest."

"I don't understand. There isn't a forest in here," Rory tells her.

The Doctor plays along with his uncle. "Yeah, you're right. You've completely won. Oh, you can kill us in oodles of really inventive ways, but before you do kill us allow me and friends Amy and Rory to congratulate you on being an absolutely worthy opponent."

Amy chimes in. "Congratulations."

"Yep, you've defeated us. Me and my lovely friends here, and last but definitely not least, the Tardis Matrix herself, a living consciousness you ripped out of this very control room and locked up into a human body. And look at her," Meta continues.

Idris goes limp in my arms and Rory speaks up. "Doctor, she's stopped breathing."

"Enough. That is enough," House says.

"No. It's never enough. You forced the Tardis into a body so she'd burn out safely a very long way away from this control room. A flesh body can't hold the Tardis Matrix and live. Look at her body, House," the Doctor says.

I can hear the scorn in House's voice. "And you think I should mourn her?"

The Doctor shakes his head. "No. I think you should be very, very careful about what you let back into this control room. You took her from her home. But now she's back in the box again, and she's free."

Golden energy comes from the frail body and flows into the console, compressing House down into nothing as he begs for mercy. I look up at smile. "You see House? That's your problem. Size of a planet, but inside you are just so small."

Moments later, his cries are cut off, and he is gone. The TARDIS sends a projection of Idris to talk to us from the stairs. "Doctor, are you there? It's so very dark in here."

"I'm here," he says.

"I've been looking for a word. A big, complicated word, but so sad. I've found it now," she says.

"What word?" Meta asks.

"Alive. I'm alive," is her answer.

"Alive isn't sad," I tell her.

"It's sad when it's over. I'll always be here, but this is when we talked, and now even that has come to an end. There's something I didn't get to say to you...I just wanted to say hello. Hello, to all of you. It's so very, very nice to meet you." And with that, she is gone.


End file.
